Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter
by njeha
Summary: A traumatized young girl finds herself in Middle Earth lost and confused. She later finds herself joining a Company of dwarves to retrieve their homeland, but Lux-Vita also has responsibilities in her own world. How is she to succeed in ridding the magical world of Voldemort when she is stuck in Middle Earth ... perhaps with the help of someone else? FEM!Potter. MOD Potter.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 1:**

Near the lower Misty Mountains, there was a forest located on the River Celebrant, southeast to Khazad-dûm, and it was well-known that this forest was the only place where the golden Mallorn trees grew – the forest of Lothlórien.

The forest of Lothlórien was ruled by the Lord Celeborn of Doriath, and the Lady Galadriel, daughter of Finarfin. Lothlórien was protected by the magic of the Lady Galadriel herself as she was the one who wore the Ring Nenya, helping to enrich the land and make it a magic forest into which evil could only enter with difficulty.

The Lady Galadriel was a powerful elleth and has lived from the First Age, she was a force to be reckoned with; she is one of the greatest Eldar in Middle Earth, and surpassed nearly all others in beauty, knowledge and power. Some from the race of dwarves and men however, would call her an elf-witch and seemed to fear her.

Deep inside Lórien, a tall elleth clad wholly in white with hair the color of the deepest gold and eyes the color of light blue that resembled starlight, froze suddenly in mid-pace, for she had sensed a visitor in Arda appear out of nowhere.

This elleth was the Lady Galadriel herself, and her radiant creamy white face free of any age lines, was puckered into a thoughtful frown, her starlight eyes gazing distantly into nowhere in specific.

She sensed that someone has come, someone _not_ from this land. Yet, even though the intruder wasn't from Arda, Galadriel felt as though the person _belonged._

Rushing over to a silver basin of water, Galadriel stared down into the depths of the Mirror of Galadriel and concentrated on the newcomer.

Sensations of sorrow, hurt and despair flooded into Galadriel's own emotions and with a bit more probing, Galadriel gasped loudly backing away entirely from the Mirror creating a large distance in between.

Her eyes were closed tightly, and one dainty hand was clutched over her heart as she recognized who the intruder was.

 _It was not possible._ _That line died centuries ago … long ago a very powerful line disappeared from Arda entirely adding to the threat of Sauron as it left their world completely unprotected. Yet a descendent have come, but not of their own volition._

Opening her starlight eyes, Galadriel began searching through the boundaries of her mind and a tentative smile appeared on her ageless face.

The newcomer would not be alone for long, for there seemed to be someone completely trustworthy nearby, someone she would trust with her life and more, and if Galadriel was right – which she almost always was, they would be crossing paths soon.

But he must tread with the utmost caution, as the newcomer did not have long – she could sense the person's soul was fading away, living in an empty shell, longing to reunite with the other side.

He must haste over to the newcomer's side or all would be lost, for the fate of Middle Earth depended on the newcomer.

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

A tall figure clad all in grey from the pointed hat atop his grey hair to the ends of his cloak was seen walking along the cheerful path of the Shire.

He smiled as the sound of children playing around the fields met his ears and he looked around with a fond smile. How he always loved visiting the Shire, it was the only place in all of Middle Earth that was untouched by evil.

Waving over at some of the inhabitants of the Shire, he watched in amusement as some of them threw him distrustful looks and ran into their smials, while others waved back in a friendly gesture; after all, the Wandering Wizard was very well-known in the Shire and was a good friend of the Thain's, the great Gerontius Took.

The Wandering Wizard chuckled to himself, hobbits were not overly fond of big people and mostly kept to themselves, but he knew them to be usually friendly and happy-go-lucky little people with a fondness of visitors and a cheerful bunch with a huge appetite.

Hobbits also prided themselves of having a quiet, normal and peaceful life which was something he frowned upon.

That was the reason he was here in the Shire, for he had an adventure to go to and he had the right hobbit in mind that was going to help him and the company that would be arriving that very night.

The wandering Wizard chuckled to himself as he neared his destination – the look on the hobbit's faces once they witnessed the company's arrival into the Shire would be one for the memories.

Upon arriving at Bag End, the wandering Wizard set his eyes on a young hobbit that sat by a bench nearby his smial and was smoking on a pipe. The hobbit had curls of light brown mop surrounding his features, hazel eyes, a round childish jovial face and ears that were slightly pointed – unlike the elves.

As the hobbit blew out a smoke ring, collapsing into a smoke moth, the wandering Wizard chuckled alerting his presence to the hobbit as he opened his eyes abruptly and looked around.

His face formed from bliss to surprise, "Good morning."

"What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or, perhaps do you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to feel good on?" the wandering Wizard waited for his speech to settle in the young hobbits head, inwardly chuckling – he loved confusing others with this exact same speech, and not once had someone stumped him with a worthy answer.

The hobbit stared at the wandering Wizard in complete bafflement, running the words through his head, he stuttered, "All of them, I suppose," he drifted off unsurely.

The wandering Wizard gave the hobbit a disapproving look, shaking his head in disappointment; that was the worst answer he had ever been on the receiving end of. The hobbit didn't even bother to try.

"Can I help you?" the hobbit inquired as he noticed that the old man clad in grey stood above him expectantly, though he was still shaking his head at him in disappointment.

"Hmph, that remains to be seen," he answered, unhappy with the hobbit for the answer he had been on the receiving end of, "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure."

The hobbit seemed startled, "An adventure? No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures." He then added as an afterthought, "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner."

The wandering Wizard gaped at the hobbit's words, watching as he hastened to stand up, check his mailbox, and grab some mail and sort through it.

Whatever happened to the young hobbit he had the joy of seeing when he was still a fauntling, running around with wooden toy swords and yelling about adventures and how he so desperately wanted to visit the elves. The hobbit has changed much, and it just won't do; now the wandering Wizard was insistent that this hobbit would be joining them in the adventure.

The hobbit grew uncomfortable as he noticed the old man clad in grey was still standing there with an expectant look on his face.

Puffing in vexation, the hobbit rushed to get back inside his smial, but before he did, out of common courtesy that his mother had ingrained into him before she died, he threw back a quick, "Good morning," as he reached the door, ready to put this disturbing encounter behind him.

"To think that I should have lived to be good morning'd by Belladonna Took's son, as if I were selling _buttons_ at the door," the wandering Wizard muttered in indignation, but it was loud enough for the hobbit's sensitive little ears, and he froze.

"Beg your pardon?" he inquired in bafflement, turning his head to look at the man who was staring at him in pity.

"You've changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" the hobbit – Bilbo looked suspicious now.

The wandering Wizard smiled, maybe once Bilbo knew who he was then he would reconsider the offer. "Well you know my name, although you don't remember that I belong to it. I'm Gandalf! And Gandalf means … me," he ended dramatically. Oh, how he loved his riddles.

Bilbo ran the name across his head for a bit, before gasping. Recognition flashed through his features and he excitedly said, "Gandalf … not Gandalf the wandering Wizard who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve." Bilbo then placed his small fingers into his suspenders, fidgeting his feet, "Ha! Hmm, I had no idea you were still in business."

Gandalf looked extremely disappointed now. The hobbit only recognized him for his fireworks? Why, he was such good friends with his grandfather Gerontius Took, as well as his mother – Belladonna did go with him on an adventure after all, before marrying Bungo Baggins, that is.

Plastering a fake smile over his face, Gandalf asked innocently, "And where else should I be?"

"Ah, hmm …" Bilbo began fidgeting as he puffed on his pipe uncomfortably for something to do, unsure of what to say without insulting Gandalf – he honestly though he had passed away.

Sighing, Gandalf said, "Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks."

Bilbo nodded hastily.

"Well that's decided. It will be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others," Gandalf was in a hurry, he couldn't dawdle for long as he had dwarves to get back too.

Bilbo squawked, "Inform the who? What? No. no. no! Wait," shaking his head, he continued adamantly, raising his voice slightly, "We do not want any adventures here, thank you. Not today, not -. I suggest you try over the Hill or across the Water," pointing somewhere far away with his hand.

Staring at Gandalf in indignation he blurted out, "Good morning!" and rushed back inside his smial, seeking refugee against the door as he closed it shut behind him.

"Yes, most amusing," Gandalf chuckled to himself as he stared at the door that had snapped shut with Bilbo Baggins inside.

Walking over to the smial, Gandalf carved a dwarvish rune for Burglar with his staff onto the door, which began glowing a bright green as Gandalf walked away from Bag End, still chuckling to himself merrily, as he found that he couldn't wait for the excitement of the evening.

Gandalf was staying at the Green Dragon while he waited for his dwarf friends to arrive at the Shire, but just as he was approaching the inn, he heard a voice speak to him in his mind, causing him to stop abruptly mid-walk.

" _ **Mithrandir, I have something I need you to do, something of the utmost importance … something that has to do with your quest."**_

 _Ah, the Lady Galadriel_ , Gandalf mused. _**"Why am I not surprised that you know of the quest? Never mind, I should have known by now that nothing gets past you … tell me my Lady, what do you require of me?"**_

" _ **I am in need for you to haste over to the large forest of the Shire, Bindbole Wood; there you would find a young girl. You must quicken your pace to her side."**_

Turning around the opposite direction of where he was headed, Gandalf began to take larger strides over to Bindbole Wood. He knew that the Lady Galadriel would not ask him of this if it were not important to Middle Earth.

" _ **What am I to do once I reach her my Lady Galadriel,"**_ inquired Gandalf, as neared his destination. 

" _ **Keep her close Mithrandir, we cannot leave her unattended, and I see that she will only trust you … no one else – for now, that is."**_

Gandalf was baffled. The Lady Galadriel was of the only one in all of Middle Earth that had the power to surprise him anymore, he prided himself as the wandering Wizard, to know everything of everyone.

Finally, Gandalf reached the heart of Bindbole Wood, his sharp grey eyes, despite the age he appeared to be, studied the trees and the hedges, looking for a young girl.

The sound of quick breathing alerted him, drawing his attention over to a few feet to his right, and just as he was about to rush over to the young girl, Galadriel's voice resounded warningly in his head.

" _ **She must be dealt with caution and ultimate patience, Mithrandir."**_

Slowing his pace, Gandalf found himself gaping slightly as he saw the young girl of whom Galadriel spoke of. He had never seen anyone like her before and she was dressed in the oddest garments … garments that did not belong in Middle Earth.

The young girl had wild ruby hair that fell below her shoulder blades; in fact her hair was such a vivid red, it reflected sharply against the sun, making her an easy target to never miss. Her form was tiny and skinny, as if she had not eaten in quite some time, and she was huddled into herself, her hands grasped tightly to both ankles, pushing her legs close to her chest in a protective stance and her face buried into her thighs.

Her clothes were another thing entirely; a gown donned her body, it was plain white and loose. Its sleeves stopped right above her elbow, and the ends of the gown reached right below the knee.

Approaching her slowly, Gandalf decided to clear his throat so as to not startle her. But it was no use, for just as Gandalf made the sound, her face whipped upwards as quickly as a whip to stare at him.

Gandalf recoiled slightly at the girl's appearance; her face was worn and tired. Her eyes were the color of emeralds, a color he had not seen in a long time, and they were widened in fear, complete fear that he himself felt her emotions. Her pale face was drawn and weather beat, and her lips were torn, probably from her biting on it until it bled.

She looked deranged … but also, she looked like a tortured soul and Gandalf finally understood Galadriel's warning.

" _ **Yes Mithrandir. You see? Now, do you understand? Her soul is fading away … she wants to leave the world, and you must help her."**_

" _ **Why, if I may ask my Lady? What is so important of this girl? She is naught but a child,"**_ Gandalf insisted as he studied the girl carefully.

" _ **Size and age means nothing Mithrandir, you know this most of all. The most powerful beings can come in the smallest of forms."**_

" _ **And is she my Lady Galadriel?"**_ asked Gandalf urgently, he needed to know.

" _ **You ask if she is powerful, Mithrandir? My answer is yes. She holds such power, and she could either help Middle Earth or destroy it to the ground with her death."**_

Gandalf dreaded the answer. Deciding to speak with the frightened girl, Gandalf took a few careful steps to her small huddled up form that was still curled into itself on the ground.

He saw her big, round eyes flash in recognition and the girl spoke in a raspy voice – he assumed it must have been a beautiful voice at one time, but now lost its luster from the lack of talking.

"Professor D-Dumbledore, wh-where am I? How did I get here?" she asked desperately, stuttering a bit as she tried to form her words through chapped lips.

"I know not of whom you speak of child, for they call me Gandalf," he answered kindly.

"N- no-not Dumbledore?" she asked her face titling in confusion. Gandalf shook his head and watched as her face turned from relief to sheer terror.

" _Voldemort_!" she hissed in a frightened tone, though still managing to coat her words with hatred, and Gandalf recoiled at the change as though struck.

"You portkeyed me somewhere didn't you? Yo-you're finally going to kill me!" the girl was slightly hysterical.

"My dear girl, I am not this Voldemort either … I have already informed you that my name is Gandalf, I am also known as the wandering Wizard around some areas," Gandalf knelt down in front of her, sharing eye contact so that she could see that he means her no harm.

The girl stared at him, and Gandalf felt as though she was looking deep into his soul.

"May I be so bold as to inquire for your name, child?"

"Why shou-should, why should I believe that you won't kill me? That you aren't working for _him_?!" the girl spoke in fear, yet Gandalf detected bravery in her – her soul may be fading, but she had the strength to defeat it, to continue living.

"My child, if I were to kill you, then I would have done so already," replied Gandalf kindly, the corner of his eyes crinkling as a smile spread across his old features.

"Lux-Vita. Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter," she whispered softly, her eyes downcast.

Gandalf closed his eyes slightly, he knew her features looked familiar to him, and now he knew why. _**"It is her, my Lady."**_

" _ **I thought so, Mithrandir. You do know that he would want to see her once he finds out, yet he will not believe until he has proof."**_

" _ **I will deal with it when the time comes."**_

"I ask that you trust me Lux-Vita, can you do that?" Gandalf had to inform her that she had crossed over to another world.

"O- okay," she said in a small voice, almost as though she were scared to trust anyone, and Gandalf's eyes snapped downwards to her hands as he saw her playing with a ring – a magnificent ring made from real silver, a huge diamond sat in the middle, encrusted with smaller rubies, emeralds and topaz.

Gandalf knew that the dwarves would be interested and mesmerized with the ring. He knew that they would keep on pestering her on its origin.

It was placed in her right hand, on the ring finger – it was no mere ring, it looked to be an engagement ring, and from its cut, style and gems, Gandalf could tell that it was priceless and extremely expensive, from nobility.

Therein lay another puzzle about the girl, she was in a courtship, yet her soul was fading and she looked a wreck – there were many possibilities, but Gandalf would rather he find out in his own time with her acquiescence.

"Can you tell me where you hail from?" he inquired curiously.

A small frown puckered on her forehead, "London. But my school is in Scotland … I-I was in th-the h-h-hospital wing when I felt my body drifting off and I appeared here, wh-where am I?"

London? Scotland? Gandalf had never before heard of such places.

"Hospital wing? May I ask what that is?"

"You don't know?" asked a confused Lux-Vita, "It's like a healing ward …"

Ah, yes … now he understood the reason for her strange attire.

"Lux-Vita, I need you to listen carefully to my words and to keep an open mind. You are in a place called Middle Earth, and I am compelled to believe that you have travelled between worlds," explained Gandalf calmly, not wanting to worry the girl.

"What?" gasped Lux-Vita, "But-but, I am from Earth, not Middle Earth …"

"Yes child, Middle Earth is a world quite different from the one you come from; here we have places called Rohan, Gondor, and not Scotland or London."

Gandalf heard her mutter, "Why does everything always happen to me," causing his curiosity to spike.

"Do you think someone brought me here with a purpose in mind? Or do you think I accidentally did something to come here?" asked Lux-Vita warily, almost as if she was scared of the answer.

Gandalf stared at her in confusion, the girl was taking this well, a little too well in his opinion.

"Why would you think it was something you did that brought you to Middle Earth?" asked Gandalf curiously.

"Uhmm, I'm a witch, so… m-maybe I apparated here somehow or-or something," was the answer Gandalf received, and quite honestly – it was not an answer he was expecting. A witch was unheard of.

"What sort of magic do you have?" probed Gandalf.

The girl slowly uncurled one hand from her ankles and tilted her hand forward, and quite suddenly a stick appeared in her hand … it was quite long and looked to be made of wood.

"Anything really," she whispered, "I just finished my fourth year of studying magic, I have three years remaining." She then tucked the stick back to what he guessed to be an invisible strap on her forearm.

"Study magic, whatever do you mean child?"

"Well there are many schools for learning magic in my world, I go to Hogwarts in Scotland and our system is seven years of education, but there is a school in France that offers only six years," she explained in a whisper.

Gandalf nodded, though he was still perplexed at this world she came from. Schools for learning magic. Witches and wizards in plural; in Middle Earth there were only five, including him.

"We can discuss this fascinating subject perhaps at a later date, for I am in a bind right now and I'm afraid we must make haste with our time," Gandalf said urgently, "I need you to come me with me Lux-Vita, I have gathered a company of dwarves and I am to take them on a quest and I am already tardy."

Gandalf was saddened to see that Lux-Vita had retreated back into her shell, her eyes widening in fear.

"No, it's alright Gandalf, you go ahead, I'll find my own way back to my world," but even as she said it, Gandalf could see that she looked frightened at the possibility of being left alone.

"My child I cannot leave you, so do not ask me to. I believe you are here for a reason. Tell me, what are you afraid of?" asked Gandalf.

"The dwarves," she whispered, and Gandalf had to strain his head forward so as to hear her properly.

"Have you a bad experience with dwarves before?" asked Gandalf in confusion.

"No, there are no dwarves in my world, but I am wary of men," her voice began shaking and she started fiddling with her ring again.

"I see," said Gandalf, he wondered what had traumatized her so, but he did not ask, instead he said, "The Company of dwarves I am to journey with are of the honorable sort and they are extremely respectable to females, they _will_ treat you well, and besides I shall be with you the whole time," he promised her.

Lux-Vita stared at him with those emerald eyes, and Gandalf could see the formation of tears. Her lips began wobbling and she bit them so they could become steady, before finally nodding her head in agreement.

Gandalf smiled brightly at her. Standing up to his full height he offered her his hand, and she took it, carefully standing up. Her legs were unsteady and Gandalf had to place an arm around her shoulders in order to keep her steady.

"I'll have to buy you shoes and clothes for our journey," Gandalf informed her conversationally.

"No. no. no. no," she shook her head quickly, "I-I'm fine, I don't need anything."

"Relax dear girl, I will not force you into anything, however if you change your mind, then do let me know, as the journey is long and you might catch a cold," Gandalf's eyes pierced her somberly waiting for an answer, and Lux-Vita nodded obediently.

Once they were near the Shire, Gandalf couldn't help but ask, "If I may ask child, but why is it you trust me so?"

Lux-Vita stared at him with knowing eyes, a brief smile on her face, "You remind me of the Headmaster of my school, Albus Dumbledore … I see him as a grandfather figure and other than my godfather, he is the one I would trust with my life."

"I see," was Gandalf's reply… the Lady Galadriel must have known that, otherwise she would have sent someone else.

They made their way to the Green Dragon in an amiable silence, none of them felt the need to fill the air with conversation, and in fact, Lux-Vita seemed to be happy with not speaking. Gandalf now knew why her voice was raspy – unless spoken to, she didn't speak at all.

Her eyes would linger at everything, and Gandalf could tell that she was an extremely curious being as her eyes drank in the beauty of the Shire; he could almost see the questions barreling over in her head when she saw the hobbits – but she didn't ask, for she didn't care much for anything anymore.

Her eyes looked haunted, as though she had seen so much evil, something a young girl should not witness. Gandalf noticed that whenever a male hobbit would stare at her, Lux-Vita would begin trembling and would only stop when he squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, reminding her that he was with her.

What happened to the poor girl to make her so afraid and traumatized?

Upon reached the Green Dragon, Gandalf was welcomed by the sight of eight dwarves sitting inside the inn waiting for him. Looking at the girl beside him, he noticed that her hands began shaking, and she clutched her ring as though it would keep her safe.

"Come my child, they will not hurt you and I will be with you the whole time," said Gandalf kindly.

She gulped slightly and nodded her head, though she was still trembling, and her eyes were widened in fear.

Together they walked into the inn and towards the eight dwarves, who were all staring from Gandalf to the young girl in confusion.

 **A/N:** **This is a new story I have been planning for a while, and I finally posted up the first chapter. So what do you think, is it good?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **My story is mostly told in third person.**

 **Warning:** **This story includes rape, suicide, abuse and triggers of rape – I already wrote in the summary that it is an Angst genre as well as Romance – so it won't be all depressing, actually it is also quite a comedic story. I am informing all my readers of this detail from now, because I don't want you to later on tell me that I should have warned you from the start otherwise you wouldn't have read it in the first place. I hope that you continue reading this story even though, because I promise you it is a wonderful read with many interesting twists, funny scenes, and a different plotline than most stories. I'm sorry if you are all mad at me for this =( but I don't want my stories to be all butterflies and rainbows, I like adding twists, and such … sorry for blabbing LOL, and I do hope you continue to read this story.**

 **ENJOY!**

 **Chapter 2:**

Lux-Vita's grip on Gandalf's arm became firmer the more steps they took in approaching the eight dwarves who sat gaping at them, and Gandalf actually had to hide a wince, breathing in a sigh of relief as they finally neared their destination, and he courteously sat her down on the chair to the far end of the table, keeping quite a large distance between her and the dwarves – and going by the small flicker of gratitude in her eyes, Gandalf knew that Lux-Vita appreciated his action.

"Tharkûn, who is the young lass?" a fierce looking dwarf with many braids in his long hair and a very impressive beard demanded, glancing between Gandalf and the small fragile girl who looked a mess.

The other dwarves perked up at the question, and they swiveled their heads to and fro from the girl who shrunk away from all the different looks she was getting and Gandalf who drew himself up to his full height at the question being posed to him in a rude way – but ah, such is the way of the dwarves.

Gandalf could see how all the attention from the male dwarves were upsetting his new charge, and so, he brought the attention back to him and away from her, "This, is Lux-Vita and she will be accompanying me for the time being."

Slowly, Gandalf took a seat next to Lux-Vita and looked at her with kind eyes before speaking in a calm and gentle voice, "Lux-Vita, these are some of the companions I informed you of. The one who just spoke is Glóin, and next to him, the one with the hearing aid, is his brother Óin." He then pointed at a dwarf with white hair braided into a silver case, a dwarf with starfish-shaped hair and a beard tied off into three different braids, and a young-looking dwarf with mildly short orange hair, "These are the Ri brothers, Dori, Nori and Ori," and lastly he pointed at a kind looking dwarf with a strange hat atop his black hair, an extremely rotund dwarf that sat on three of the tiny hobbit stools with orange-red hair braided as a necklace around to the back of his head, and the last dwarf with shaggy black hair and beard, both streaked with many grey hair and who looked a bit wild with a rusting remain of an axe embedded in his forehead, "and lastly, the Ur cousins, brothers Bofur and Bombur and their cousin Bifur."

Lux-Vita stared at each and every dwarf that Gandalf introduced her to with wide, fearful eyes, nodding hastily and once Gandalf was done with the introductions, the eight dwarves each bellowed their own kind of loud salute, making her flinch and hastily turn her head away from them, hiding her face into a messy curtain of ruby hair.

"What's wrong with the little lass, Gandalf?" asked Dori gently. He had a worried glint in his gray eyes – he was known to be the pessimist worrywart of the Company, with a tendency to baby and suffocate his younger brother Ori and anyone else in his view.

"I found her like so, I would ask of you to be a bit cautious around her, it doesn't take much to frighten her and it took me quite a while to convince her in accompanying me here," said Gandalf in half-warningly and half-explanatory tone.

"Discrimination against dwarves, aye lassie," spat Glóin, enraged at what Gandalf had revealed to them as he began starring daggers into the back of the girl's head, who still had her face covered by a curtain of hair. Upon noticing that Glóin was addressing her, her small form began to tremble and shake in fear and her breathing quickened at an alarming rate.

The dwarves noticed her reaction to Glóin's words and stared wide-eyed at the small form of the girl; it didn't escape their notice that she relaxed palpably at Gandalf's touch as he placed a soothing hand on her forearm and glared back at Glóin.

"Master Dwarf, do control yourself! It is not the fact that you were dwarves that had bothered her so, but the fact that you are males!"

Glóin had the audacity to look guilty, and he mumbled a quick apology to the girl.

"Now that we are quite done with the picking and pointing of blame at innocent bystanders, I suggest we get a move on and travel onwards to our burglar's smial," said Gandalf as though he were addressing naughty children.

The eight dwarves walked ahead of Gandalf and Lux-Vita, giving them a chance to talk privately without curious ears and eyes following them.

"Are you alright, my child?" asked Gandalf kindly, placing an arm over the girl's shoulders to help her walk steadily on her feet.

Lux-Vita nodded her head quickly but Gandalf could tell that she was merely placating him, and Gandalf sighed.

"I'm sorry about Master Glóin my dear, but one thing you must understand before we reach to Mr. Baggin's smial, is that dwarves are a rowdy and paranoid bunch of race. They have a hard time trusting outsiders since all other races are prejudiced towards dwarves and they can come off as quite rude at times, but that is the way of most dwarves," Gandalf explained.

Lux-Vita's eyes widened in shock and pity.

Prejudice was one thing she could definitely understand, and she felt horribly bad for the dwarves – to be living in a world were all races look down at them with such negativity and distrust was atrocious; Lux-Vita hated all forms of prejudice and bias, and she never showed any interest in favoring one kind over another, and so she nodded, but this time Gandalf recognized it as a nod of understanding.

Gandalf found himself to be once again curious of the girl and her origins. For the first time since finding her at Bindbole Wood, the girl had actually nodded in comprehension and was not merely being obedient.

"One thing you do not need to worry about however, is the dwarves' treatment of you. They hold woman and children in the deepest of respect and care, and they would never dare to harm a female as they are extremely precious and rare to them, so you will be in excellent hands."

"I-I un-understand G-Gan-Gandalf," she stuttered breathlessly, but her eyes were still studying the form of each dwarves in front of her in fear.

Gandalf inwardly sighed, it was going to be quite difficult to get the girl to open up, and for the numerous times since finding Lux-Vita, Gandalf wondered whatever happened to the girl to make her so frightened and distrusting of everyone, but him.

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

Bilbo Baggins wasn't having a good day; actually scratch that, today was a completely atrocious day.

Never mind the fact that the blasted wizard interrupted him while he was out enjoying a bit of fresh air while smoking his Old Toby and asking for him to accompany him on an adventure. _An adventure_ of all things.

Does Gandalf know nothing about hobbits? He asked himself in indignation.

No one in their right mind would ask _a hobbit_ of all races, to partake in an adventure.

But now, as he was getting ready to have a dinner of deliciously cooked fish that he slaved over as a treat for himself, a dwarf knocked on his comfortable home.

 _A dwarf!_

The dwarf was huge and buff with a balding head, bulging muscles and many tattoos. He also brought weapons!

Weapons were being brought into his home, how utterly scandalous! Unlike his many Took cousins, Bilbo disliked all forms of weapons and never bothered learning how to defend himself.

The dwarf barged his way into his kitchen, uninvited he may add, and proceeded to swallow up his dinner – bones and all! Then he had the sheer audacity to ask for more, when _another_ dwarf entered the comforts of his home.

An older and much shorter dwarf, who turned out to be his brother, and they began slamming their heads against each other _in his_ kitchen, emitting a loud thunk and then proceeding to raid his pantry for more food.

He had furiously rambled on and on that he didn't know them and that he didn't in fact mind visitors as long as they were _invited by him_ and he knew they were coming beforehand, he apologized for speaking his mind; and the old dwarf was actually impudent enough to tell him that his apology was accepted before going back to rummaging through his pantry alongside his brother.

Bebother and confusticate these dwarves.

And as if that weren't enough, the door rang for the third time that day, opening the door to find _two more dwarves!_

They looked to be young with identical mischievous smiles plastered onto their faces, as well as a glint of mischief in their eyes, and he immediately regretted opening the door for them.

One of them had golden blonde hair and beard, his moustache had braids dangling down on both sides with beads, and he had sapphire blue eyes, the younger dwarf beside him however, was the complete opposite with dark brown hair and matching eyes, with a bead or two in his hair and a small wisp of beard, which was odd for a dwarf as they all took pride in growing long beards.

"Fíli," the blonde one exclaimed with a wide smile.

"And Kíli," the brunette exclaimed, before they both bowed down as though they rehearsed their introduction before Bilbo had opened the door, both of them exclaiming in unison, "At your service."

 _Ah, another pair of brothers, how wonderful!_

"You must be Mr. Boggins?" the brunette – Kíli spoke with an air of mischief.

Bilbo didn't trust those two brothers at all, they had a mischievous air radiating around them and he hastened to close the door in their faces.

"Nope, you can't come in, you've got the wrong house," was all Bilbo had to say.

As Bilbo was closing the door on their face, a big boot appeared instantly, stopping the door from closing fully. The boot belonged to Kíli, and he had a look of bewildered confusion on his face as he spoke in an urgent tone, "What? Has it been cancelled?"

"No one told us," added Fíli, his smile frowned in confusion, his eyes darting through the small opening to the inside of the smial.

Now Bilbo was confused. _Has what been cancelled?!_ "Nothing has been cancelled," he blurted out in angered confusion. _Just what in Yavanna's name is going on?!_

Kíli looked greatly relieved, breathing in a chuckle and trading looks with his brother, he said, "Well, that's a relief."

Bilbo was so shocked, that he froze in place unable to argue anymore, when the two young brothers pushed their way into his smial and proceeded to unload their weapons into his tiny hands.

Fíli alone had over ten or fifteen throwing knives, daggers and swords, while his brother Kíli merely had a bow, a quiver full of arrows and a sword.

Looking at the younger brother while he tried steadying his weight from the older brother's many weapons being plunked into his hands, he was enraged to see Kíli was wiping the mud off his boots onto the edge of his _mother's glory box_.

 _How dare he? So rude with no manners whatsoever!_

After dumping all his many weapons onto the poor, confused hobbit's hands, he followed his brother and Dwalin who appeared from the kitchen, leaving him with a casual remark, "Careful with them, we just had them sharpened!" and disappearing from his view entirely.

After hearing the old one, Balin converse with the other three dwarves that they were going to have to move the furniture so that the _others_ would be able to fit in, Bilbo puffed up in apoplectic rage.

 _Others! What others?_

Did they mean to say that more dwarves adding on to the four that were already in his house were coming over? His poor smial would not survive their thrashing the place, they were already ridding his stocked up pantry from all the food.

Just as he was about to throw another fit after being ignored by them when he inquired as to how many more dwarves were coming, the doorbell rang, and Bilbo had had enough.

Storming over to the door, he began yelling at the top of his lungs, dumping Fíli and Kíli's many different range of weapons on the floor, "Oh no. No, no! There's nobody home. Go away, and bother somebody else. There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If-if-if this is some clotted's idea of a joke," he uttered a few fake laughs that came out a bit nervous, "I can only say, it is in very poor taste!"

Uttering the last word, he threw open his door with as much strength as his little body could muster, only to find an entire heap of dwarves clutter down onto the floor by his big, hairy feet. They were all moaning and yelling at each other to get off, and as Bilbo looked up from the pile on his feet, his face morphed into a mixture of rage and exasperation as he spat in an accusing tone, "Gandalf!"

Gandalf had the nerve to look a bit sheepish but not at all apologetic, and just as he was about to begin berating him for being the sole reason for all the dwarves in his home – for who else, but that meddling, wandering wizard would have the audaciousness to congregate a large group of dwarves in his little smial, he noticed a small figure of a girl from the race of men, and his jaw slackened in surprise.

The girl was a mess, to put it politely. She had messy, stringy ruby hair tangled all over her gaunt and pale face hiding most of it from the sight of others, she looked haggard in some weird type of apparel that barely covered enough of her skinny and bony arms and legs.

But what drew the girl to his attention the most were her eyes; large emerald eyes stared gravely back at him in fear – _fear of a hobbit, can you believe that?_ They looked to be sunken and lacked its luster that he was almost positive it had before, and she had large swollen bags the color of purple under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep.

Gandalf had a smug sort of look on his face; he noticed the hobbit's attention was on the girl, and though Lux-Vita would not be happy for the attention being rounded up on her, Gandalf was relieved that he had escaped the tongue-thrashing he was sure to be in the receiving end of; he knew that Bilbo Baggins must have inherited his dear mother Belladonna's gift for dressing-down a person and making them feel like a badly behaved child.

But alas, he went ahead of himself as Bilbo swished his head over to him as the dwarves finally managed to stand up on their own two feet and yelled, his tiny finger wagging in an accusing manner, "Gandalf! Why are there _dwarves_ in my home! Why?!"

"My dear Bilbo, may I and my companion come in? Lux-Vita needs to sit down for a bit," said Gandalf in a chiding way, and even though Bilbo was mad at Gandalf for the assembly in his home, he felt abashed and a bit guilty for ignoring the poor girl who looked to be in a haggard state.

"Y-yes of course my Lady, I do apologize for my ill-manners," Bilbo stuttered out in apology. How rude of him. He was a horrible host – he didn't care much for the dwarves, but the poor girl looked down on her feet.

The girl, Lux-Vita nodded quickly, but stayed close to Gandalf, her tiny hand clutching onto Gandalf's sleeve as though it were her lifeline.

Gandalf carefully sat her down in one of the sofas of Bilbo's living room and after promising her that he would be back, Bilbo saw the girl curl upon herself in a protective yet frightened stance, her eyes looking downwards, making sure not to share any eye contact with the others.

"Gandalf," Bilbo whispered as they made their way to the kitchen where all the dwarves were congregated, "Is the – is the girl, _scared,_ of me?" he asked in horror, the matter of there being dwarves in his home completely forgotten with the topic of the girl.

Gandalf sighed wearily and looked at Bilbo with saddened grey eyes, "Yes my dear Mr. Bilbo, Lux-vita is indeed frightened by anyone from the male gender."

"But not you!" he pointed out, it came out a tad bit accusingly but Gandalf didn't seem to mind.

Nodding his head, "Yes, except for me. Apparently I remind her of one that is like a grandfather to her back home and so she feels most comfortable around me, and only me. I am hoping the dwarves would not pay her much attention –"

Whatever more Gandalf was about to say, he was interrupted by a shrill scream that made the hair on Bilbo's feet stand up on ends. Recognizing it as the mystery girl's scream, Gandalf and Bilbo, along with all the dwarves in the kitchen hastened their way to the living room, where they found a bemused and shocked looing Kíli standing alone, his eyes drifting to each of the inhabitants in the house in total confusion.

Gandalf looked around, unable to find the girl he bellowed, "Where is the girl? She was just here," snapping his attention to Kíli, who was the only one near the sofa where he had last left her, he spoke to him in a scary and demanding voice, "Where is the girl Kíli, I just left her here naught but a few minutes ago!"

Fíli rushed over to stand by his brother's side. He didn't know what girl Tharkûn spoke of, but he didn't like the tone used on his brother, and although he knew that Tharkûn would not harm any of the dwarves, it was an instinct for him to always protect his brother.

"Gandalf – What? I-I, I don't – I saw her sitting alone and thought to be nice, she looked lonely, all by herself. I introduced myself and she screamed and crawled away from me," said Kíli in bewilderment, his eyes beseeching that he was telling the truth.

Gandalf sighed, it was an easy mistake, as he had yet to inform Dwalin, Balin, Fíli and Kíli to not scare the girl as she was uncomfortably around any male. It was in Kíli's nature to be friendly and forthcoming and he could not blame they young dwarf for not knowing.

"What girl Gandalf," demanded Dwalin, a frown on his huge forehead as he approached the two brothers, fixing a deep stare into Gandalf's grey eyes.

"I will explain once I find her, everyone stand back," snapped Gandalf urgently. The twelve dwarves and the lone hobbit stood by the side, waiting and watching as Gandalf walked with the most utmost caution, each step being deliberately loud so as to warn the girl that he was approaching.

"Lux-Vita. Lux-Vita? My child, please come out, Kíli was merely being polite and I had yet to warn him not to approach you," he spoke gently, and to the thirteen bystander's immense surprise, a small girl crawled over slowly over to Gandalf's feet.

Fíli, Dwalin and Balin sucked in a sharp breath as they looked upon the mystery girl's face for the first time. Fíli's eyes were widened in horror, Dwalin's mouth hung agape in shock and Balin looked empathetic.

"G-G-Gan-Gandalf?" the girl spoke in a raspy voice making all twelve dwarves and one hobbit flinch notably as they heard the sound of her voice for the first time, and they watched in shared horror as the girl burst out into tears, her small body heaving with the intensity of the sobs.

Everyone stared at Kíli, whose mouth was gaping open, his eyes were the size of a gold coin as he stared at the small form of the mysterious girl in guilt and a slight bit of confusion.

"G-Gandalf, I-I'm s-s-s-so-orryy," she continued crying, and the sound of her cries and the look on her face tugged the heartstrings of every dwarf and one hobbit.

Gandalf knelt down to the girl's crawled form and engulfed her in a hug. The girl flinched at first, before relaxing into the hug, fisting her hands into the back of his robes and crying her little heart out, her face pressed into Gandalf's chest.

"You have nothing to be sorry for my child. It is I that is in fault, for I had forgotten to warn the others that hadn't met you yet not to startle you or approach you, forgive me my child," said Gandalf, his voice filled with sorrow, shocking the dwarves even further.

The girl merely nodded into his robes and Gandalf carefully carried her bridal style into his lap and sat down on the sofa she had recently vacated. Snapping his eyes over to the thirteen onlookers, Gandalf spoke in a tone of voice that left no argument, "This, this is Lux-Vita. She is very wary of any male, except for me since I remind her of one that is like a grandfather to her back home … it is not your fault Kíli so wipe that guilty look from your face. She is my charge and therefore my responsibility and I would appreciate it if none of you question the girl further and stay afar until she is comfortable around you."

They all nodded, and one by one they all made their way back to the kitchen to prepare their dinner. Bilbo fidgeted uncomfortably before racing off towards the dwarves leaving Gandalf alone with the girl. He would rather be around the rowdy dwarves and take care to the state of his kitchen then be around the depressing girl that tore on his heartstrings.

"What happened?" Fíli demanded of his brother in a neutral tone, and he could tell that some dwarves were leaving an ear open to Kíli's reply.

"I-I, Nadad, I-I, I went up to her and said 'Kíli at your service,' the second she heard my voice, her whole body stilled, but I thought nothing of it, but when she looked up at me, her eyes widened in fear and she screamed so loud! I moved forward to her, to help her! I thought- I thought she was hurt, but she then scrambled away from me till I lost sight of her and that was when you all walked in … I didn't know," he ended pitifully, his voice laced with guilt and sorrow.

"It's not your fault nadadith, you heard Tharkûn, he forgot to warn us," Fíli reminded his little brother, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. But his thoughts were revolved around the mysterious girl who Gandalf called Lux-Vita, such an odd name and not one that you would find in Middle Earth.

His brother was thinking along the same lines as he said, "I've never heard of such a name before … who do you think she is? Gandalf seemed to care a lot about her," he added.

Fíli shook his head, "I don't know nadadith, but what I do know is that Thorin will not be pleased with the addition of the girl."

"What do you mean?" his little brother was sometimes too innocent and slow on the uptake. But before Fíli could answer, Balin interrupted for him.

"Aye lad, your brother is right, Thorin wouldn't be happy. It is obvious that Gandalf will not be leaving the girl to fend for herself in the wild."

"Aye, Tharkûn will be bringing the lass along to Erebor with us," Glóin grumbled in disapproval. He knew that they couldn't leave the lass to survive by herself in the wild, especially in the condition she was currently in, and Glóin would not have it on his conscience to leave a hurt and scarred girl to fend for herself, but it didn't mean that he had to like it.

"Masters Fíli, Balin and Glóin are correct," a voice boomed into the kitchen, causing them all to jump in their place and swivel their heads in the direction of the kitchen entrance. "I will not be leaving Lux-Vita alone, she is _my_ charge and none of you are responsible for her fate, but I. If Thorin is to have a problem with it, then he will address his thoughts to me," Gandalf spoke threateningly and they were all shocked at the change in his usual cheerful and carefree demeanor, that they all stopped talking of the mysterious girl and busied themselves with dinner.

And so, Bilbo's full attention was placed on the twelve dwarves who continued to raid his panty, taking out all the food while he yelled at them to put them back, only to be ignored.

"Those are my – Excuse me! Put that back! Put that back! Not the jam, please! … Excuse me." Bilbo was cut off by the sight of one of the largest dwarves he had ever seen; actually he was one of the largest _person_ he had ever seen – who was carrying three entire wheels of cheese from the pantry.

Walking over to him, he patiently spoke in a tone that presumed the other was dim, "Excuse me – A tad excessive, isn't it?" he laughed nervously, "Have you ever heard of a cheese knife?"

The hatted dwarf with a large moustache spoke up cheerfully, appearing to his side out of nowhere, "A cheese knife? He eats it by the block!" before thumping the hobbit hard on the shoulder, succeeding in knocking him forward as he walked away chuckling to himself, "A cheese knife? Bombur?"

Bilbo recovered himself from the strong thump and rushed over to the one Gandalf had called Glóin before and another with an ear trumpet in his ear, both of whom were carrying chairs from his drawing room.

"No, that's Grandpa Mungo's chair! No, I'm sorry, take it back please. Take it back … it's antique, not for sitting on! Thank you!" he then saw more dwarves fiddling with his things, "That's a book, not a coaster. Put that map down, thank you."

But his words fell on deaf ears as all twelve dwarves continued on with what they were doing, continuously ignoring his pleas.

Except of course for the dwarf with a hearing aid who bellowed, "I cannot hear what you are saying!" and he continued on with what he had originally been doing – taking more of Grandpa Mungo's antique chairs into the kitchen.

Of course, the dwarf with a hearing problem would be the only one to answer and notice him, grumbled Bilbo to himself.

 _Bebother and confusticate those dwarves!_

Dori was making a pot of chamomile tea for himself and the others, fretting around about the poor girl, and thinking that perhaps a nice warm tea would calm down her nerves. Walking over to Gandalf, he politely asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Gandalf, can I tempt you with a nice cup of chamomile tea? Or, the lass perhaps?"

Gandalf smiled at the old, gentle and paternal dwarf of the Company and said, "Yes, I think a chamomile tea for Lux-Vita would help wonders, and a little red wine for me, I think, Dori."

Gandalf then began counting the number of dwarves before remembering that they were one short. Thorin? Where is he?

Bifur walked by, scaring the poor hobbit as he stared horror-struck at the axe embedded in his forehead; signing to Gandalf in Iglishmêk that Thorin has yet to come.

"Yes, you're quite right Bifur, we seem to be one dwarf short," Gandalf agreed.

"He is late, is all. He travelled North to a meeting of our kin. He will come," growled out Dwalin who was leaning on a wall to the side, his eyes focused solely on the young girl that sat curled up on the sofa in fear, her hands covering her ears from the sound of all the ruckus and dwarves.

Gandalf narrowed his eyes at Dwalin, wondering why he couldn't take his eyes off Lux-Vita, but before he could ask, Dori interrupted him with a cup of chamomile tea in one hand and a tiny glass filled with red wine in the other.

"Mr. Gandalf? A little glass of red wine, as requested. It's got a fruity bouquet," said Dori politely as he handed over both drinks.

Gandalf smiled before drinking the glass of red wine which was nothing more than a small gulp. He looked at the tiny glass sadly, wanting more, but then shrugged and carefully made his way over to Lux-Vita, who immediately perked at the entrance of Gandalf.

Dwalin stayed in his place, leaning against the wall and watching as Gandalf handed over the tea that Dori, ever the mother-hen had made for her. He watched as her chapped and slightly bloody lips formed a miniscule smile that was barely noticeable unless you looked closely, and shakily took the offered cup, her hands trembling, sloshing a bit of tea around into the plate as she brought it forward to her mouth, taking a small sip.

"Th-th-thank-thank y-y-you G-Gandalf," she rasped out in a small and scratchy voice.

Dwalin observed Gandalf give her a bright smile, his eyes looking at her a bit fondly, further confusing the warrior dwarf with the gruff exterior.

In all honesty, Dwalin was flabbergasted by the arrival of the girl and her appearance. She looked like she came out of a battle, but he couldn't believe that, for the girl looked to be a child, not even reaching the maturity of the race of men.

"Perhaps orcs raided her town, killing her family?" a voice spoke to his right. Dwalin barely flinched as he recognized his brother's arrival.

Studying the girl further, and not taking his eyes off her, Dwalin answered his brother gruffly, "I don't think that is the reason naddad. She looks to be frightened at the tiniest of sounds, and she looks like she's been through the mill, although there are no fresh injuries or cuts on her, neither is there any grime. So she hasn't been travelling much from wherever Gandalf found her."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. But you heard Tharkûn, it is not for us to know until she decides to tell us," Balin reminded him softly, his eyes finally drifting over to the girl who was slowly drinking tea with Gandalf's help.

"Thorin will not be pleased at all, he will demand to know more of her, especially since she will be traveling with us. He will insist that she would be slowing us down and might form a risk to the Company," Dwalin grunted.

"Aye," Balin sighed, staring at the girl in pity before heading back to the kitchen and leaving his brother behind.

Gandalf made his way over to poor Bilbo, who was standing by the corner in his kitchen, his face contorted in horror and disgust as he watched all twelve dwarves sit down by the table and eat their dinner.

Gandalf watched in amusement as Bofur threw food into his brother, Bombur's mouth, catching it swiftly and causing the dwarves to all cheer for him, making more of a ruckus. That was the only sign needed for everyone else to start throwing food around into each other's mouths, hands and plates.

Dwalin then poured ale into Óin's hearing aid, causing him to splutter in anger and everyone to laugh. Óin proceeded to blow the ale out of his hearing aid, managing to produce the sound of a squeal.

"On the count of three," Nori yelled; everyone began chugging their ale at a fast pace and pound their tankard down hardly onto the delicate table in unison. Once they had finished drinking, they all begin burping; but it was little Ori that shocked everyone into a stupor as he let out the biggest burp yet. Dori looked aghast at his youngest brother and watched in disapproval as Nori and everyone else cheered him on and congratulated him.

Bilbo looked away in disgust, causing Gandalf to chuckle.

"Bilbo, would you be a big help to me and gather some of the food into a plate for Lux-Vita?" asked Gandalf politely.

"Of-of course, Gandalf, give me a minute," and Bilbo hastened over to the table that he promised himself he wouldn't dare to near due to the messy dwarves. The poor girl must have been starving; she looked way too skinny and probably hasn't had a proper meal in ages.

Giving Gandalf a mountainous plate that was filled over the top with food, Gandalf left the dwarves to their merriment, and made his way over to the human girl, gently placing the plate onto the table and asking her to eat while he checked over the dwarves.

Nodding obediently, Lux-Vita began nibbling on some food, hardly able to eat it all, but trying for Gandalf's sake.

Gandalf looked pleased as he made his way back to the kitchen, happy that at least the girl would try to listen to him as he did know best, and Bilbo was right – she did look way too thin, but she didn't seem to be starving in hunger, merely not having the appetite to eat; that made him remember the Lady Galadriel's words, ' _her soul was fading_ '.

As the dwarves finally finished eating, they began walking about the small smial, making sure to keep a large distance between them and the human girl.

Gandalf watched in amusement as Bilbo snatched something from Bofur's hand, berating him, "Excuse me, that is a doily, not a dishcloth."

"But it's full of holes!" was the only bewildered answer he received. Bilbo snatched it from his hands and stomped over to Gandalf in anger while mumbling to himself, "Confusticate those dwarves!"

Acting nonchalant, Gandalf addressed Bilbo, making sure to hide his amusement, "My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"

Bilbo stared at Gandalf his mouth agape, repeating dumbly, "What's the matter? I'm surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here?" he snapped.

"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering. Once you get used to them," he answered cheerfully, his eyes drifting over occasionally to check if Lux-Vita was still eating, or nibbling in her case.

Stamping his feet in a childish manner, his voice filled with anger, "I don't _want_ to get used to them. The state of my kitchen – there's mud trod on my carpet," he waved his hand pointedly at said carpet, "they've pillaged the pantry. I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing," he spoke in a high-pitched voice, "I don't understand what they are doing in my house!"

But before Gandalf could reply, young Ori interrupted their conversation, and in a timid voice, he asked, "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate." Waving said plate in front of Bilbo's red face.

A hand shot out, grabbing the plate swiftly into his hand, Fíli spoke up, "Here you go, Ori, give it to me." He threw it behind his back to Bifur who stood by the sink in the kitchen.

Bifur caught it without even looking behind his back, making Bilbo squeak in shock, scared for his plate.

Kíli, Fíli and the other dwarves then began to throw many plates, bowls, and utensils to each other, eventually throwing them to the sink to be washed, occasionally making Gandalf duck in his place so that he wouldn't be hit by the flying cutlery.

"Excuse me!" Bilbo's voice sounded out from amidst all commotion. "That's my mother's West Farthing crockery; it's over a hundred years old."

Ignoring the little hobbit, the dwarves at the table began drumming rhythmically with the utensils and their fists.

"Can-can you _not_ do that? You'll blunt them!"

Cheerfully, Bofur yelled out, placing a cupped hand over his ears as a sign of listening better, "Ooh, you hear that, lads? He says we'll blunt the knives."

Kíli began to sing after Bofur's words, and the other dwarves joined him as they continued throwing dishes around.

 _Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

 _Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

 _Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

 _Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

 _Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

 _Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

 _Splash the wine on every door_

 _Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

 _Pound then up with a thumping pole_

 _And when you've finished, if they are whole_

 _Send them down the hall to roll_

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

As the dwarves finished, Bilbo who was huffing in anger and trying to make his way through to the singing dwarves all gathered in the kitchen, made one last push, finally succeeding in entering the fray with a look of trepidation in his tiny face, expecting to see all broken crockery.

But to his surprise, he found all the dishes were neatly stacked up and they were _clean._

The dwarves and Gandalf all burst out in uproarious laughter at the look on poor Bilbo's surprised face, before they all stopped as the sound of three large knocks vibrated around the house, coming from the door, and everyone fell silent.

Only one word came out from Gandalf's mouth, his face all solemn as he looked nervously in the direction of where the human girl sat.

"He's here."

 **A/N:** **Khuzdul:**

 **Nadad: Brother.**

 **Nadadith: Little brother.**

 **That's chapter two all done. I will be working on chapter three immediately and hope to get it out in a few hours.**

 **Question; what do you think of the engagement ring on Lux-Vita's hand from Chapter 1? Who do you think it is from?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Warning:** **Rape & Mature themes in this chapter.**

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Hogwarts,**

 **Two weeks before Lux-Vita arrived in Middle Earth,**

"Lux-Vita! Where do you think you're going?" asked Hermione. Both of her hands were placed on her waist and her eyes were narrowed suspiciously at her best friend's figure.

"Uh-uhmm, well you see …" Lux-Vita answered sheepishly, her mind racing towards an excuse that would appeal to her bossy best friend's nature.

"You're already caught Lux, might as well tell Mione the truth before she blows a gasket," chuckled Ron, Lux-Vita's male best friend.

"Right, well, uh, right you are Ron … Cedric asked me to meet him," explained Lux-Vita reluctantly.

Ron sat up straight at that, almost knocking over a table in his haste, and Hermione rolled her eyes, her expression turning from suspicion to disapproval, "You know that you're supposed to be practicing for the Third Task, yes?" she demanded in a self-righteous tone that made both, Lux-Vita and Ron roll their eyes.

"Yes," answered Lux-Vita in an innocent tone as she looked at her fingernails nonchalantly.

" _And_ you do know that Cedric is a sixth year, _therefore_ he already knows a lot of defensive spells and hexes to get through the task unscathed, while you are just a fourth year that haven't even begun learning them in class," she continued on, her tone turning more dangerous.

"Yes, I know Hermione! And like I said last night, I already know all of them! Sirius sent me many books from the Black library last summer, and I read them thoroughly from cover to cover. I know it all by heart _and_ I practiced them at the beginning of the year … I already have a large repertoire of spells, hexes and curses in my head," Lux-Vita answered, knocking her hand over her head at the last part of her sentence.

"Oh, but …" Hermione began looking at Ron for support, but Ron merely rolled his eyes.

"Lux is right Hermione, give her a break, she already knows all her stuff. Not everyone prefers to studying over having a life."

Hermione looked hurt at that, "I am not saying there aren't many other important things than studying, I just worry over Lux. Someone wants her dead in this tournament!"

"And I appreciate how much you care for me sweetie, really I do," Lux-Vita smiled, throwing Hermione one of her famous bear hugs, "But I miss my _boyfriend_ ," she smiled cheekily.

"Oh! Go on you! Have fun with your gorgeous boyfriend," Hermione chuckled, wiping a stray tear from her eyes.

"Urghh, gross girls! I don't want to hear you fancying guys and checking them out," said Ron, a look of disgust on his face, "We need more testosterone in this group you know," he added indignantly.

"Ooh, that's a mighty big word for ya, Ron," Lux-Vita giggled as she made her way out of the Gryffindor common room. She ducked, narrowly missing the Potions book that he threw after her and laughed out loud as she peeked her head through the entrance, "MISSED!" before disappearing from view.

The last thing Lux-Vita heard was Hermione berating Ron for throwing a _book_ out of all things, and to next time throw his shoes or something else.

Lux-Vita happily made her way over to the Tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet; she sniggered into her hand – no matter how many times she saw that portrait, she never failed to laugh in amusement.

Lux-Vita was asked by Cedric to meet her inside the Room of Requirement at seven P.M sharp, reaching right on time. Opening the door, Lux-Vita gasped in shock at what stood in front of her.

She was in Paris! _Paris!_

Stood in front of her with the Eiffel Tower positioned behind him, was her handsome boyfriend of nearly two years; Cedric Diggory, sixth year Hufflepuff prefect, Seeker and Captain for the Quidditch Hufflepuff team and Hogwarts Champion of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Cedric, what- how, what is all this?" Lux-Vita managed to stutter out in surprise.

Smiling charmingly, Cedric approached his girlfriend, "This is a date! Last year I wasn't able to take you out for a date in Hogsmeade, and this year with all the pressure of someone putting your name into the Goblet of Fire, Rita Skeeter and her publishing and the Slytherins mocking you … we barely enjoyed our time in Hogsmeade."

"Oh, baby you know I didn't mind right? I'm not a materialistic girl. I love you, and I don't care how we spend our time together as long as we ARE together," Lux-Vita said soothingly her hands caressing both of Cedric's arms.

"I know, and that is why I love you Lux. I wanted to do something special for you, and I remembered you telling me last year of how you had always wanted to go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower, but your _relatives_ ," he sneered the word 'relatives' with distaste, "never took you with them, instead leaving you with a neighbor."

Lux-Vita's emerald eyes sparkled with joy and adoration, shaking her head she said, "I cannot believe you remember that! I told you that in passing, I barely expected you to notice when I mentioned it."

"What kind of meager, daft boyfriend do you think I am," he laughed back. Holding an arm out in a gentlemanly fashion for Lux-Vita to hold, he bowed and said, "May I have the Lady's hand and escort you to the top?"

Lux-Vita giggled with glee, bouncing up and down, her curly hair bouncing with her, she looped her hand through his and said in a posh accent, "You may, kind sir."

As they climbed the top of the Eiffel Tower, Cedric courteously pulled back a chair and only once Lux-Vita was seated, did he go around the table and take a seat for himself.

Lux-Vita stared in surprise at the table, noticing all the candles and posh cutlery, and before she knew it, a bottle of Moët Champagne and two crystal glasses appeared on the table.

Cedric proceeded to pour a generous amount into both glasses, clunking their glasses together, they took a hearty sip.

"This is good Cedric, you didn't have to do all this for me," stated Lux-Vita, her eyes glowing with happiness.

"I know I didn't _have_ to, but I want to! You deserve the best Lux, so let me treat you like you deserve to be treated," said Cedric, his golden eyes shining with love.

"Oh ya," joked Lux-Vita, "Do tell me kind sir, how exactly do I deserve to be treated?"

"Like a princess," said Cedric simply, making tears of happiness shine through Lux-Vita's vibrant emerald eyes.

Lux-Vita had never been treated with such care before; she was only introduced to this when Cedric asked her out after their first Quidditch match during her third year after she had fallen off of her broomstick due to the Dementors. She remembered lying awake being tortured by the final words her mother and father spoke of before being murdered by Voldemort, when Cedric walked in and changed her life.

Cedric was worried sick when he saw the girl he couldn't stop thinking about fall down over a hundred feet from the air, and the day after she was admitted into the Hospital Wing, he was completely honest with her, telling her of his feelings towards her. Lux-Vita was nervous; she found Cedric to be very handsome and out of her league, but after Cedric was completely honest with her and with the pushing of Hermione, she agreed and allowed herself some happiness. And that turned out to be one of the best things she ever did, along with believing Sirius was innocent and entering Hogwarts where she met her two best friends, Ron and Hermione.

"You are spoiling me Ced," Lux-Vita giggled, as all her favorite dishes appeared on the table. "You did not do this by yourself, spill boyfriend!" she laughed.

"Dobby did help a bit," he admitted sheepishly. "When I told him what I was planning to do for you, he was quite pushy you know, he actually demanded that he be the only elf to help his kind Mistress Luxy Potter," he chuckled, especially when Lux-Vita's face turned a bright red, hiding her face behind her ruby hair.

"I can't believe he still calls me that, I keep telling him not to," she smiled fondly. "Although, I do admit that setting the little guy free was something I am extremely proud of."

"Only you would have the heart of gold to make sure a mistreated house-elf that wanted to be rid of his cruel masters, become free," said Cedric, he was staring at Lux-Vita with utter adoration and fondness.

"Oh stop that, anyone would have done the same thing if they were in my place," said Lux-Vita modestly.

"You know they wouldn't, Merlin I would have never thought of doing that! You care too much about everyone, and all races Lux, that is one of the reasons why I love you."

Lux-Vita's eyes shone with delight at seeing their desert for the evening was Treacle Tart – her favorite. Of course Cedric would know to have all her favorite meals be presented for this dinner.

"Oh ya, what else do you love about me?" she asked acting all coy and fluttering her long, thick black eyelashes at him as she licked a bit of sauce from the spoon.

"Hmm, what else, what else?" Cedric pretended to think, before laughing, "No, in all complete seriousness, I love your heart of gold Lux. I love the way you put others before you always – although sometimes it could be annoying, I love your hero-complex issues, I love how modest you are – unable to even accept a compliment, you cannot understand your worth to everyone else, I love how you don't carry an ounce of prejudice over everyone neither are you arrogant, I love how you hate your fame with utmost hatred and that you don't flaunt it around."

Cedric stood up from his seat, his eyes focused on Lux-Vita, looking at her as though she were the most precious thing in the world, he knelt down on one knee and took both of her hands as he continued onwards with his speech, "You are so utterly brave, your bravery knows no bound, you are kind, smart, selfless, funny, and oh, so beautiful, I have never seen anyone as gorgeous as you Lux. Your hair and your eyes are unique to the world, and when you look at me, I feel like I can be anyone, like I can do anything – I guess what I'm saying –"

"Cedric, wha-"Lux-Vita gasped, she slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes incredibly larger than usual as she stared at her boyfriend who was knelt before her, opening a box where a ring lay innocently.

The ring was made from real silver, a huge diamond sat in the middle winking innocently at her, and it was encrusted with smaller rubies, emeralds and topaz gemstones – signifying her favorite features on him which were his bronze hair and gold eyes, and his favorite features that made her unique to the world, her ruby hair and emerald eyes.

"Will you be my wife Lux? Would you, Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter give me the huge honor of being your husband?" said Cedric solemnly, his eyes shining with complete love.

"But, I'm still fourteen Ced, you haven't even graduated yet!" she exclaimed, her eyes taking in the ring before moving on to studying every aspect of his face.

"I know, but I want to show the world that you are mine. We'll stay engaged until you graduate, I would wait forever for you Lux," said Cedric with adoration.

"Yes."

"What?"

"YES. YES, yes, _yes!_ Cedric Diggory, yes, of course I'll marry you!" Lux-Vita screeched her voice high-pitched with happiness. Cedric laughed, all nervousness gone and he confidently placed the ring on her right hand, on her ring finger before scooping her into a hug, twirling her around and kissing her passionately on the lips.

"You have succeeded in making me the happiest man in the world you know that? Merlin Lux, I am so in love with you!" Cedric breathed out after they took a break from kissing to suck in some air.

"You changed my life Cedric. My world is a brighter place with you in it, and I can't imagine ever living my life without you!" said Lux-Vita vulnerably, her eyes staring intensely into Cedric's gold eyes.

"You'll never have to Lux! I promise," Cedric whispered before attacking her lips again with much vigor.

Cedric's kisses set every fiber of her being on fire, and as they stood up, his hands wandered down to her back and he pushed her flush against his hard, toned chest.

The room changed suddenly, looking around they found themselves in a candlelit room with a huge king-sized bed displayed in the middle. They broke apart and in unison, they stared at the bed.

Cedric looked at her with a questioning gaze, silently asking her if she was sure she wanted this. Lux-Vita's answer was to kiss him hard, showing as much love and devotion into the kiss.

Cedric's hands drifted downwards, unbuttoning her dress and caressing every inch of newly exposed creamy skin. Lux-Vita fumbled slightly with the fastening of his school robes.

Lux-Vita ended up dressed in nothing but her underwear and bra, and Cedric stared at her with lust, a hungry gleam in his golden eyes, turning them into molten lava and Lux-Vita's breath hitched at the sight.

He stepped forward after he was done studying every inch of her body, placed both his hands on her waist and kissed her hard.

"Gods, you drive me crazy do you know that, Lux?" he whispered against her lips. He then kneeled down in front of her and slowly drew her legs apart. His mouth began planting a trail of kisses inside her thigh and slowly traveled upwards.

Lux-Vita's breath hitched yet again, and she tangled her fingers through his wavy, bronze hair.

His tongue traced circles over her clit and his long, nimble fingers began to move in and out of her.

Lux-Vita moaned deeply, she wanted more and Cedric was driving her crazy. She couldn't imagine losing her virginity to anyone other than Cedric, the love of her life and she felt completely safe and loved in his arms and under his ministrations.

Placing her gently down atop of the bed, Cedric gazes deeply into her eyes. Emerald met Gold, and Cedric asked one last time, "Are you sure you want this Lux, I don't mind waiting," his voice low and husky with lust.

"Yes, I want you and only you Ced!"

Taking the rest of her clothes off, he placed himself atop of her at the right position and gently slid inside of her until he broke through her walls. Lux-Vita winced in pain, and Cedric stilled in place, placing butterfly kisses all around her neck, until Lux-Vita had had enough, and began moving her body forward to meet Cedric's thrusts.

His free hand seeked out her clit as he moved in her with firm thrusts and Lux-Vita began moaning, moving back against him. They fell into a slow, leisurely rhythm that drove her crazy, making her hiss out with ragged breath, "Faster!"

Cedric was only too happy to oblige, and barely made a sound as he tightened his grip on her hip and picked up the pace, thrusting in and out of her vigorously.

She threw her head backwards and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out loud. Her climax washes over her like a tidal wave and all she could think about was that she loved Cedric so damn much, and she couldn't wait to do this with him and feel this way every day for the rest of her life.

Cedric's release followed mere seconds later, grunting against her ear, he spilled himself inside her.

Together they began breathing hard, their chests rising and falling, and gently, Cedric got out of her and rolled over, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her over to rest by his side. Lux-Vita placed her head by his chest, her hands splayed across his stomach.

"You know, I was just thinking … what are we going to tell Sirius?" asked Lux-Vita in an innocent tone.

Placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, Cedric said, "You didn't think I asked for your hand in marriage without asking him for his permission first, did you?" Lux-Vita snapped her head upwards to look into his eyes, and he smiled, "I've been planning this for months, ever since the end of the Second Task, Lux. I sent a letter to my parents and Sirius and they all gave me their blessings. Dad even sent me this ring, and had it specifically modified by the goblins to add some of the gemstones onto it – it's a Diggory family heirloom."

"I love you Cedric," Lux-Vita whispered, tears of happiness flowing freely from her eyes, "I don't think I will be able to survive life without you."

Cedric squeezed her to his side tightly, "You will never have to Lux-Vita, I promise I will never leave your side. I love you way too much to do so!"

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

 **Little Hangleton Graveyard,**

 **One day before Lux-Vita arrived in Middle Earth,**

"Lux-Vita! Lux? _Lux!_ " Cedric was bent over Lux-Vita's form, as she screamed on all fours clutching onto her forehead. Putting his arms around her, Cedric gently shook her, "Lux, what is it? What's wron-"Cedric drew a sharp intake of breath as he noticed the blood trickling down from her scar.

" _Ced, Cedric!"_ Lux-Vita whimpered, "Go, get out of here! The cup is a portkey! Take it back to Hogwarts!"

Cedric shook his head in bewilderment, turning his head ever so slightly as he noticed the short hooded figure clutching a bundle of blankets getting closer, "I'm not leaving you Lux, now get up!"

Cedric stood up, going forward to carry her into his arms and grab the cup, but before he could, a high, cold voice hissed, " _Kill the spare._ "

"No! Cedric, no! Go quickly!" Lux-Vita yelled at the top of her lungs as she struggled to stand up amidst the exploding pain that was coming from her scar due to the close proximity of Voldemort being near her, rendering her immobile.

Before another word could be spoken, there was a swishing noise and a second voice screeched the two deadly and unforgivable words, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

"NOOOOOO!" Lux-Vita yelled desperately.

There was a blast of green light, and a loud thump beside her, indicating that something heavy had fallen to the ground. The pain on Lux-Vita's scar receded, before diminishing completely, and she squinted to see what had fallen as the images around her began to clear out from its previous blurriness.

A sharp intake of breath left Lux-Vita as she stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the proof that was staring right at her face.

Cedric was laying spread-eagled on the ground beside her, his open golden eyes that looked at her before with such expressive eyes filled with happiness, joy, love and adoration, where now blank and expressionless, and his mouth was half-open in slight surprise.

Numb. That was all Lux-Vita felt. Numb; numb disbelief, before she was grabbed from behind and slammed against a marble headstone that shone with the wand-light: TOM RIDDLE.

Lux-Vita still felt numb when she recognized the person tying her up to the headstone was Wormtail, due to his missing finger, and the person that had betrayed her parents to their death, leaving Sirius to take the blame and rot in Azkaban for twelve years when she should have been raised by him instead of her abusive relatives.

Lux-Vita was numb as she watched the horrifying process of the ritual to give Voldemort a physical form take place.

" _Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"_

There was a crack on the surface of the grave at Lux-Vita's feet. A hiss of something colliding with the water. A vivid poisonous-looking blue light.

" _Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive your master."_

An agonizing scream pierced the air. A thud onto the floor. Anguished panting. A sickening splash. A burning red light.

" _B-Blood of the enemy … forcibly taken … you will … resurrect your foe."_

Lux-Vita didn't even flinch as she felt tormented breathing on her face; not even when the point of a shining silver dagger penetrated the crook of her right arm; not even when blood seeped down the sleeve of her torn robes; not even when a glass vial caught a few dribbles of blood.

Lux-Vita was numb to the world around her.

A blinding white light shone all around the graveyard and Wormtail's pathetic form dropped down to his knees besides the cauldron, slumped sideways on the ground and cradling a bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing.

Lux-Vita watched blankly as her greatest enemy; the monster that killed her parents, that tried to kill her and was the reason her fiancé lay dead a few feet away from her, emerged slowly from the cauldron through the mist.

"Robe me," a high, cold voice spoke from behind the steam – the same voice that demanded Wormtail to kill Cedric.

Lux-Vita watched with dead eyes as a sobbing and moaning Wormtail placed black robes over the tall and skeletally thin figure. She stared with dead eyes as the figure stared back at her with wide, livid scarlet eyes. His face whiter than a skull and a nose flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils.

Lux-Vita was still numb as she came to the realization that Lord Voldemort had risen again, and that her death wasn't far behind. Lux-Vita welcomed death; she would be able to join her parents and Cedric.

Voldemort examined himself, and then proceeded to call his Death Eaters through Wormtail's Dark Mark. Looking at Lux-Vita, he had a look of cruel satisfaction plastered all over his face and as he began his speech of his muggle father, Lux-Vita snapped her head to her left, and stared with saddened eyes at the form of Cedric, who still lay on the ground near the cup and her wand, untouched.

One by one the Death Eaters arrived. Some were cautious around him; some looked at him with unbelieving eyes; and only one fell down on his knees, crawling toward Voldemort and kissing the hem of his black robes.

Nothing was important to Lux-Vita, nothing but Cedric, nothing but joining him in death. He promised that he would never leave her, yet he was gone.

Voldemort finished his speech, finished torturing Avery, gifted Wormtail with a new hand, and ended his tirade about Lux-Vita defeating him when she was a year old and his plan of fashioning himself a physical form.

Lux-Vita stared at Voldemort with blank, deadened emerald green eyes, and for a moment there was surprise written all over his face as he noticed she had given up on life.

Walking over to Cedric's body, he tutted mockingly, "What a pretty boy, don't you think Lux-Vita? it's too bad he had to die," Voldemort laughed. He then placed a foot over Cedric's face, and Lux-Vita finally felt an emotion boil inside of her, anger; she felt fire course through her vein.

" _DON'T TOUCH HIM! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"_ she yelled, shocking all the Death Eaters, their jaws slackened as they watched their Lord and Lux-Vita stare at each other.

Voldemort smirked in amusement as he approached Lux-Vita, who was still tied tightly onto the headstone, "You cared for him, didn't you?" he asked, not expecting an answer, "You want to join him in death, don't you?" again, he didn't expect an answer, he placed a finger onto Lux-Vita's soft, smooth and creamy cheek – she didn't even flinch, even as her scar began bleeding due to his touch, "I cannot just simply grant you your wish now when you _want_ to die, you must feel pain first; pain by my hand that would kill your soul, making you suffer even in death."

Wandlessly, he unbound Lux-Vita from the headstone, but made sure that her hands were still bound tightly before he dragged her body until she lay next to Cedric's dead form and ripped her clothes off.

Finally, Lux-Vita awoke from her numb stupor, recognizing what Voldemort wanted to do. He wanted to rape her next to Cedric's body with all the Death Eaters watching. She began struggling in her binds, screaming hoarsely for him to stop.

"Hmm, I don't think I will … you wanted to die Lux-Vita and me being the honorable Lord, I shall grant you your wish. But you are the reason I lived worse than a spirit in excruciating pain for thirteen years, and for that, you shall suffer before your death!"

The Death Eaters leered and cheered as they watched their Lord defile her in every way possible. They watched as the Dark Lord placed innumerable Cruciatus Curse's on her while he raped her.

It was unbearable. Lux-Vita was trapped in the nightmare of all nightmares. It was agonizing, embarrassing, painful and torturous, and Lux-Vita begged for death in her head – she wouldn't give Voldemort the pleasure of hearing her beg.

While Voldemort would slam into her, he would cast the Cruciatus Curse for pleasurable reasons, sickening Lux-Vita further. She felt two different types of pain at once; she felt pain beyond anything she had ever experienced before, her bones were on fire, her head was splitting along her scar, her eyes were rolling madly in her head; and then the pain of him slamming into her forcefully and crudely, his nails piercing into her soft and creamy skin, his tongue rolling around her neck mockingly.

She felt that pain repeatedly, maybe four or five times; she was beginning to lose count of how many times she heard _Crucio_ followed by unbearable pain and him spilling his seed into her.

It could have been hours, or maybe days, or perhaps a few weeks until she felt Voldemort leave her with nothing but the ripped remaining of her robes attached to her body.

Lux-Vita wasn't even given a chance to recover from all the pain that was inflicted onto her as she heard Voldemort's voice clearly reverberating over her head, "Now untie her hands, Wormtail, and give her back her wand."

Struggling to stand steadily on her feet, Lux-Vita placed a hand onto the marble headstone, ignoring Cedric's body for now – she couldn't bear to look at his sweet, handsome face after Voldemort had defiled her next to him.

Just as Lux-Vita was able to steady her weight, the Cruciatus Curse was placed on her again, and she fell down to her previous place by the ground.

She heard the laughter and the jeering sounds of the Death Eaters around her; ignoring them, she stubbornly stood on her feet as best as she could, she wasn't going to give Voldemort the satisfaction; she was going to beat him before her death surely came.

"We bow to each other Lux-Vita," said Voldemort, bending a little, but all Lux-Vita did was glare at him with the utmost hatred she could conjure, "Come, the niceties must be observed. … Dumbledore would like you to show manners. … Bow to death, Lux-Vita. …"

The Death Eaters were laughing again, but Lux-Vita didn't move an inch, Voldemort gave her a lipless smile before raising his wand again, "I said, _bow_ ," and Lux-Vita felt her spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending her forward, and the Death Eaters laughed harder than ever.

"Very good," said Voldemort softly in a mocking manner, "And now you face me, straight-backed and proud, the way your father and mother died. … and now – we duel."

Voldemort raised his hand, but before Lux-Vita could even utter a spell, she was hit again by another round of the Cruciatus Curse.

The pain was so intense, so agonizing, that she knew no longer where she was, and she felt like she was beginning to slip into insanity … white-hot knives were piercing every inch of her skin, her head was surely going to burst with pain, she was screaming more loudly than she'd ever screamed in all her life.

And then it stopped. Lux-Vita was shaking uncontrollably, trying to regain ahold of her sanity; she staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and they pushed her away, back toward Voldemort.

"A little break," said Voldemort, his slit-nostrils dilating with excitement, "A little pause … that hurt, didn't it, Lux-Vita? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Lux-Vita didn't answer. She was going to die like Cedric, like her parents, those pitiless red eyes were telling her so … but she wasn't going to play along. She wasn't going to obey Voldemort, or beg.

But Voldemort didn't like being ignored, "I asked whether you want me to do that again. Answer me! _Imperio!_ "

For the third time in her life, Lux-Vita felt the sensation of her mind being wiped of all thought … _just answer no … say no … just answer no. …_

But she was stronger than that; even with all the rounds of Cruciatus Curses that were placed on her that night; even with her being rapped and defiled brutally with an audience and next to the dead body of the love of her life; even with the loss of too much blood – Lux-Vita was stronger than that.

Staring at Voldemort with hateful eyes, she growled out, "I will never ever EVER bow down to you, you megalomaniac bastard!"

The words echoed around the graveyard, and the dream state was lifted from her. The Death Eaters were no longer laughing, but watching their master in trepidation.

"You won't?" said Voldemort quietly, his eyes narrowed in complete rage. "You won't say no? Lux-Vita, obedience is a virtue; I need to teach you before you die. … Perhaps another dose of pain?"

As Voldemort raised his wand, with the skill of a Seeker, Lux-Vita ducked behind the marble headstone of Voldemort's father, and she heard a crack as the curse missed her.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Lux-Vita," said Voldemort tauntingly, his soft, cold voice drawing nearer as the Death Eaters laughed yet again. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean you would prefer me to finish it now, Lux-Vita? Come out, Lux-Vita … come out and play, then … it will be quick … it might even be painless … I would not know … I have never died …"

Lux-Vita was ready as she clutched her wand tightly; she was going to die trying to defend herself and her honor, she was going to die in a way that would make her parents and Cedric proud, not hiding behind a headstone and cowering like a child in fear.

She threw herself around the headstone, facing Voldemort she shouted, " _Reducto_!" just as Voldemort cried, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of turquoise light blasted from Lux-Vita's and they met in midair. Suddenly, Lux-Vita's wand began to vibrate and she knew, her instincts screamed at her to not let go of the connection under any circumstance.

They were both in midair; many torturous screams emerged from Voldemort's wand, followed by a hand missing a finger, more shouts of pain, and then bodies … bodies began emerging.

A cry of shock came out of Lux-Vita's lips as she stared at the ghost of her dead fiancé's, and she let out a tormented whisper, " _Cedric!"_ as tears fell freely down her face as she kept her eyes on Cedric, she didn't even pay the slightest bit of attention on the other bodies that were beginning to form.

"Lux! Hold on, don't let go!" Lux-Vita nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "I am so sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you my love, my light! I love you no matter what, do you hear me?"

"I do! I don't think I can go on without you!" she cried, her eyes beseechingly searching his.

"You can, you are so brave my light, if anyone can move on from all this, it's you! I know you can, you are a warrior, I haven't seen anyone braver than you Lux."

Lux-Vita then saw the form of her mother appear, and Lux-Vita felt her heart about to burst; she looked like a younger version of her mother. Lily Potter stared at Lux-Vita with eyes filled with love, sorrow and pride as she said, "Your father's coming. Hold on for your father … it will be all right … hold on …"

And he came … first his head, then his body … tall and untidy-haired, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort's wand, making his way over to Lux-Vita.

She looked like a complete replica of her mother, but she noticed she had inherited her father's prominent high cheekbones and aristocratic straight-sloped nose.

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments … but we will give you time … you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts … do you understand Lux-Vita?" asked James Potter.

"Yes," Lux-Vita gasped, fighting to keep her tears at bay and her wand steady.

"Lux …" whispered the figure of Cedric, and Lux-Vita couldn't control her tears anymore as she looked at her dead fiancé, "I need to ask you of two things; take my body back, take my body back to my parents …"

"I will," said Lux-Vita, her eyes red-rimmed and leaking with continuous tears.

"And … after you finish mourning me, I need you to move on … promise me that you will live your life to its fullest and find love again if you ever have the chance."

"No, I can't, I won't," Lux-Vita stubbornly shook her head, staring at Cedric with disbelieving eyes.

"He's right Lux," her mother said sadly, her father nodding along.

"Promise me, my light … promise me," asked Cedric pleadingly.

"I'll … I promise I'll try," she whispered in defeat.

"Do it now," whispered her father's voice, "Be ready to run … do it now. …"

Lux-Vita let go and ran as fast as her injured legs could in her agonizing, weak and painful state, knocking over two stunned Death Eaters as she passed.

" _Stun her_!" she heard Voldemort scream.

She was finally next to Cedric; cradling him lovingly and protectively into her chest, she pointed her wand over to a Death Eater who was about to stun her and bellowed, " _Impedimenta_!" without pausing for breath, she pointed her wand over to Voldemort and growled out in hatred, " _Bombarda_!"

She watched victoriously as the curse hit Voldemort causing him to stagger backwards as huge chunks skin and bones tore out from his chest, blown apart, and he yelled, his voice laced with pain, "Stand aside! I will kill her! She is _mine_!"

" _Accio!_ " Lux-Vita yelled, pointing her wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into her hand and soared toward her.

Lux-Vita caught it by the handle, and just as she and Cedric were speeding away in a whirl of wind and color, she heard Voldemort's scream of pain and fury.

She landed with a hard slam flat into the ground, screaming tears of pain at the death of Cedric, her cries turned borderline into mourning and anguishing cries, scaring everyone as they ran to her side.

"Lux-Vita, _Lux-Vita!_ "

Opening her red-rimmed eyes, she looked into the gentle light blue eyes of Dumbledore's, but they lacked their usual twinkle. Not letting go of Cedric's body, Lux-Vita reached out with one hand and seized Dumbledore's wrist tightly, "He's back! He's back. _Voldemort_."

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

 **Hospital Wing at Hogwarts,**

 **A few hours before Lux-Vita arrived in Middle Earth,**

Lux-Vita couldn't sleep; she just stared numbly at the wall opposite to her, a deadened look in her eyes.

Cedric was dead. _Dead!_

Voldemort had raped and defiled her!

The bumbling fool that called himself the Minister of Magic believed her to be a liar, claiming that Voldemort was dead … claiming that a Dark Lord cannot return from the dead …

Claiming that Cedric's death was a _tragic accident._

She could ignore all the insults thrown at her; liar, crazy, dark witch due to her being a Parselmouth, attention-seeker, brat, freak … but she cannot and would not allow anyone to degrade Cedric's death; Cedric who died bravely, standing upright to protect her; Cedric who just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

No. She would not allow the fools in the Ministry to insult Cedric's death.

After she had informed Dumbledore of Voldemort's return, Professor Moody tore her apart from Cedric's dead body – that, coupled with the fact that she was just raped, caused a shrill scream to escape from her lips, drawing attention to them and Dumbledore stunned him – finding his behavior odd.

Later on, they settled down in the Headmaster's office with Sirius, Professors Snape and McGonagall, Winky the Crouch's previous house-elf and herself. Together they watched as Professor Moody transformed into Barty Crouch Jr., and after forcing Veritaserum down his throat, he sang like a canary.

Lux-Vita stared over to her right; the _real_ Alastor Moody was sleeping a few hospital beds down from her. Apparently he had it hard this year as well; Barty Crouch Jr. stuffed him into his own trunk, stealing hair from him every month in order to brew the Polyjuice Potion and take his place.

After that, Dumbledore implored her to share the events of this evening with him, but Lux-Vita couldn't and Sirius backed her up completely. But even being deep in depression, Lux-Vita knew that Dumbledore had a reason for everything, and so she compromised, taking the memory from her mind, she had Dumbledore duplicate it before returning it back into her head.

Even though Lux-Vita wanted to forget, she couldn't, it wouldn't be right and she could not stand to forget Cedric's death, it would be an insult to his memory … he died protecting her and she would honor that by carrying the pain of his death throughout her whole miserable life.

Sirius was over with Dumbledore at the moment in his office looking through the memory she had given them as he thought she would be in a deep sleep due to the Dreamless Sleep Potion Madam Pomfrey had provided her – but even the strongest sleeping Potion wouldn't allow her a restless sleep, for nightmares plagued her now, it had become a part of her.

All Lux-Vita wanted was to escape from the world for a while and know peace.

All of a sudden, Lux-Vita felt herself drifting off into nothing –it was a mixture of the sensations of the Imperius Curse and travelling by Portkey, and the next thing Lux-Vita knew, she was in a forest in the middle of nowhere where she could see nothing but the color green.

But Lux-vita didn't care, she would welcome death if it came to her, and she wasn't going to do anything but sit here and wait for death to swoop down and take her into the afterlife.

 **A/N:** **This was a long chapter *whew***

 **Poor Lux-Vita huh? I hated writing that, so I didn't include many details … but it had to happen. Lux-Vita had to be a tortured soul so that someone *ahem* could heal her completely as it would take time.**

 **I don't like it when most stories have the two characters look at each other and instantly start acting like a blushing and fumbling love-struck idiot. I like building suspense, and for my characters to take time before falling in love, and with the loss of her fiancé, being tortured, raped, defiled and humiliated that would slow things down a lot!**

 **And no, I will not be telling you who she ends up with … if she even ends up with anyone …. It's a surprise; Read and find out! =)**

 **Next chapter, we will finally see Thorin!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **Hi Readers; I just wanted to set something's straight for some of the confused ones out there; Lux-Vita lost her fiancé because she was too weak from the pain in her scar to quickly get them out of there and Cedric wouldn't leave her, then she was forced to be an ingredient in the Dark Lord's resurrection, raped brutally next to the body of the love of her life and had A LOT of Cruciatus Curses thrown at her … rape victims need a long time to feel safe again and to get over what happened to them … Lux-Vita would have felt safe around Dumbledore, Sirius and Ron since they are like her family and when she went back to the Dursleys she would have been scared around Vernon and Dudley but she has grown up with them so she knows they wouldn't touch her in such a way. Lux-Vita however was sent to Middle Earth immediately and she is surrounded by fourteen males that she doesn't know, and dwarves are a rowdy, loud and paranoid bunch, so it won't be easy for Lux-Vita around them. She is only human after all.**

 **Chapter 4:**

" _He's here."_

Gandalf didn't know if he should stay by Lux-Vita's side or join the others by the door to welcome Thorin; however knowing that where Lux-Vita sat was in direct view of the door, Gandalf knew that it would be prudent if he went over to Thorin, that way he would be able to do damage control if the need arise.

Gandalf knew that Thorin would be anything but happy with the inclusion of a scared human girl accompanying them to Erebor, but Gandalf's hands were tied, and if he were honest with himself, if the Lady Galadriel informed him that he didn't have to look out for her anymore, he would anyways – for he had grown quite fond of the delicate human girl, even in her moments of frailty.

As the twelve dwarves, one hobbit and Gandalf made their way over to the front door, they heard an audible squeak; they all turned around to see Lux-Vita had burrowed herself deeper into the sofa, avoiding all their stares, and the dwarves gave her a wide berth so that they wouldn't have any contact with her, lest she screams again, scaring her off into another corner.

Staring at Bilbo, Gandalf pointed his head imperceptibly toward the door, and the little hobbit scrambled over to open the door for the new dwarf that seemed to have brought down a solemn mood into his previously loud smial that had been filled with laughter mere minutes ago.

Just as Bilbo clutched the door handle, he sent a concerned glance to the frightened human girl, before opening the door widely and allowing the new arrival entrance.

There was a dwarf standing by the door … _no surprise_ _there, there seems to be an infestation of dwarves in his smial_ , thought Bilbo, but he was taller than most dwarves.

He had long raven black hair, streaked with a few silver strands and a few beads, his beard however was thick and cleanly shaven, but it didn't grow past his chin. He had stern features, his thin mouth set into a straight line, prominent cheekbones showing an aristocratic look and a hardened jaw. But what drew his attention the most to Bilbo – just like with the human girl, was his eyes; his eyes were a few colors lighter than the purest of sapphires and they looked ice cold, like chips of ice as he regarded everyone in the room. He had an aura of royalty around him, and his stance could not be mistaken as that of a King.

The regal dwarf took a few calculated steps into the smial, his blue eyes connecting with Gandalf's grey ones, and there seemed to be an air of amusement as he addressed him.

"Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find … I lost my way _, twice_ ," he growled out in his baritone voice. His voice was rich and deep, vibrating off every dwarf's senses and Bilbo could see why this dwarf was their leader. "I wouldn't have found it all had it not been for that mark on the door."

Bilbo squawked indignantly, having been effectively snapped out of his thoughts by the regal dwarf's words, and he clambered forward, "Mark? There's no mark on that door! It was painted a week ago!" he blurted out angrily.

 _Was this how Gandalf congregated all those dwarves into his home?_

Gandalf looked to be half-contrite and half-amused as he spoke to the little hobbit in an innocent tone that Bilbo did not believe, not even for a second.

"There's a mark; I put it there myself Bilbo Baggins," hastily changing the subject, he moved Bilbo to be facing the regal dwarf and said, "Let me introduce the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Now everyone's attention was fixed on the hobbit and how their leader would treat him.

Thorin stared at the hobbit skeptically, his eyes roaming over the hobbit's face down to his big hairy feet, and his voice boomed out, "So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

As Thorin waited for the answer, he prowled in circles like a predator would around the hobbit's tiny form, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Pardon me?" stuttered Bilbo in disbelief.

A scowl appeared on Thorin's face, pausing in his movement, he growled out, "Axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

Bilbo stared open mouthed at Thorin, "Well, well I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know," he finally blurted out, his nimble fingers going under his suspenders, and a look of pride appearing on his tiny features, "but I fail to see why that's relevant."

Both of Thorin's eyebrows rose, taking one last look at the hobbit, his eyes drifted over to the rest of his Company, a look of scorn and amusement on his face, "Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

The dwarves all burst out in raucous laughter, and Bilbo looked insulted for a moment, before he thought of the rest of his words.

 _Well I'd rather look like a grocer. I am no burglar and I haven't stolen a thing in all my life_ , he thought scandalized that they believe him to be a Burglar – must be a dwarven phrase or such.

As the Company made their way back to the dining table, Thorin froze in his steps as he saw a figure curled in the couch from the corner of his eyes. Turning around to face the figure fully, his eyes narrowed and his voice carried out into the other room, "Who's this? I didn't know our Burglar had a wife."

All twelve dwarves, one hobbit and the wizard hastened back as they realized Thorin had found the girl.

"She-she's, no-no, no that's, she isn't my wife," stuttered Bilbo in disbelief, keeping his distance from the girl, not wanting to scare her off like Kíli did before.

Thorin raised an eyebrow, "Then who is she and _why_ is she here?" he demanded. Looking around at his Company, a look of surprise etched itself onto his face when he noticed that they all seemed to be nervous around her, keeping a large distance from her.

Gandalf knew he had to interrupt before Thorin scared the poor girl, unlike his kin and the rest of the Company; he wouldn't leave the girl alone and would demand information out of her.

Thorin took a few steps forward in the direction of the figure whose face was buried into the pillows, when his youngest nephew, Kíli shouted out, "No! Thorin, do-don't go any closer."

Snapping his head to look at his nephew, his scowl more pronounced than ever, "And why not? You know this person Kíli?"

"No," Kíli gulped, looking at the rest of the Company for help.

"Aye, leave the girl be Thorin," said Balin in a solemn voice.

" _Girl_?!" he gasped out, staring each of his Company in the face, before turning around to see the _girl_. Ignoring their warnings, he took another step closer, but was interrupted again – this time however, it was Tharkûn and not one from his Company.

"Stubbornness of dwarves, didn't your kin tell you to stand back," shouted Gandalf. Passing by Thorin's astonished form; he sat by the sofa, ignoring the cry of surprise that came from her as he held her closer, feeling her body relax as she recognized it to be Gandalf.

"Lux-Vita? My child, can you please look up?" said Gandalf in a calming voice. Thorin was staggered at the tone Gandalf was using with this girl, _Lux-Vita_ , what an odd name … definitely not an elf, it sounded too foreign for Middle Earth.

Ignoring the two on the sofa for now, he whirled his whole body around to question his Company, "What of this girl? Burglar, why is she in your home?"

"I-I don't know, she came with Gandalf," was the only reply Bilbo gave him, but Thorin could see that the presence of the girl shocked him too.

"Kíli, you seem to know not to keep a distance from the girl, what of it?" Thorin now stood in front of his youngest nephew, his eyebrows rose as he waited for an answer.

Kíli looked nervous and the Company began fidgeting slightly, "Well you see, when I first saw the girl I went over to introduce myself, but when she saw me she screamed so loud and ran off into a corner."

" _What?_ " whispered Thorin.

"Aye, Tharkûn told us not to approach her for she is easily frightened," grumbled out Glóin, annoyance coloring his tone.

Shaking his head, Thorin growled out and the anger was palpable in the air, "I don't have time for scared little girls, we have a quest! Tharkûn? Would you care to explain?" he demanded, approaching Gandalf and ignoring a small, pale set of hands that tightened its grip on Gandalf's cloak as he drew closer.

Gandalf sighed wearily, his hand stroking a messy bed of hair that looked to be the color of ruby – _what an odd color;_ Thorin had never seen such a color before, except on precious ruby gems.

"This girl is Lux-Vita, she is under _my_ responsibility," was all Gandalf said, his tone held a hidden warning and his eyes were challenging him to argue further, but Thorin was in no mood, he would leave the arguing with the wizard for later.

Before Thorin could say another word however, the girl looked up and Thorin's face morphed from anger to surprise as he witnessed the state she was in.

Strange ruby hair was matted and greasy, pale, sunken face with vein lines beginning to show, purple bags under eyes that looked to be hollow and dead, plump lips all chapped, torn with blood.

The girl's emerald green eyes seemed to have no sparkle at all, no life inside as it stared into his icy blue ones, and Thorin withheld a shiver; the girl looked like she was staring deep into his soul, searching – searching for something.

Clearing his throat, Thorin growled at everyone to follow him, and they all entered the dining room, waiting for Gandalf to join them as the hobbit prepared some food for their leader.

"My dear, do you think you will be able to sit with us?" asked Gandalf softly.

Lux-Vita whimpered, shaking her head rapidly, showing her refusal.

Gandalf sighed wearily, "It is up to you of course my child, but we are to be going on a quest with the fourteen you just saw … you must get used to their presence, also I was under the impression you would like to know where you would be following me to."

Lux-Vita pondered this; Gandalf was right … for if there was anything Lux-Vita hated, before and after tragic struck her, was being kept out of the loop and not knowing what she was signing herself up to. Regarding the wizard, the only person she trusted since landing in this strange world, she knew that he would protect her with his life and not lead her astray or take advantage of her; she nodded slowly.

"Al-Alright, G-Ga-Gandalf," she stuttered out before wincing; no matter the amount of water they gave her, her throat burned her like scolding fire due to all the screaming spent under the many Cruciatus Curse. If it went on for long she would have to let Gandalf take a look at her vocal cords.

Gandalf beamed at her, "Good girl. Now, stay close to me, and I fear I must tell you … Thorin, the dwarf that came in last, he is excruciatingly stubborn and he might come off as scary or harsh perhaps even suffocating, but he fears for the safety of his Company and might view you as a threat."

"Wh-why are y-you telling me th-this?" she rasped out in confusion, her head tilting sideways.

Placing a hand atop of hers, he smiled genially, "I tell you this so that you ready yourself for an onslaught of questions. He can come off as too demanding. I am to tell you this; you are not required to give him any answers you deem too much to share. Just look at me and I'll handle him if he scares you."

Lux-Vita nodded, feeling a small smile tug on her chapped and bruised lips, happy that she had the wizard on her side.

Thorin's eyes narrowed in anger when he saw the wizard finally arrive but with the girl staggering by his side and clutching onto his arm like her life depended on it.

"What we have to discuss is none of the business of the race of Men, throw her back into the other room Tharkûn," he growled out, and everyone became silent once more as they glanced at their leader and the wizard nervously.

Gandalf raised an eyebrow, "Like I have informed you before Thorin, _Lux-Vita_ is with me. I am afraid to tell you, but if you require my aid, then she stays by my side, for where I go she will follow," his voice held a challenge, coated with anger.

Growling, Thorin nodded, but his eyes glared holes into the girl's head and she winced, curling herself closer into Gandalf's arms. The girl was too afraid, and he was to use that as an advantage to have her leave. She is too fragile for the wild and he didn't want his men to have to risk themselves to save her puny life.

Thorin had to tear his eyes from the girl when Balin spoke to him, diverting his attention away.

"What news from the meeting with Ered Luin? Did they all come?" asked Balin curiously.

"Aye, envoys of all seven kingdoms," grunted Thorin, forking some meat into his mouth.

The dwarves all began murmuring, joy clear in their tone and expressions.

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hill say? Is Dain with us?" asked Dwalin eagerly, his eyes fixed onto Thorin.

Sighing, Thorin looked up and said, "They will not come. They say the quest is ours and ours alone."

Sounds of disappointment reverberated around the room, and Bilbo couldn't help himself as his curiosity was peaked, "You're going on a quest?"

 _Bless the hobbit, still so innocent, without a clue_ , chuckled Gandalf inwardly, "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light."

Bilbo hastened to the other room, running back with a candle, and he set it carefully on the table where Gandalf just spread out a map that had previously been in his pocket.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastlelands, lies a single solitary peak," Gandalf spoke softly, his fingers tracing the routes they were to go through with every word he uttered and Bilbo gasped.

"The Lonely Mountain."

"Aye," Glóin grunted, "Óin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time."

Everyone rolled their eyes and began grumbling; Glóin and Óin hadn't been able to shut up for months about the damn bloody portents.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold," said Óin, ignoring the annoyed mumblings from the rest of the dwarves, he stubbornly continued, "When the birds of old return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end."

The mutterings all stopped and became solemn when Óin mentioned Smaug, but it was Bilbo who looked worried and concerned as he blurted out, "Beast? What beast?"

Trying to make cheer out of the situation, Bofur chirped up, a twinkle in his eyes, "Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," snapped Bilbo in annoyance, his tiny hazel eyes glaring to Bofur's twinkling brown ones.

Upon hearing the word dragon, Lux-Vita inhaled a sharp breath of surprise involuntarily, it was the first sign of life the girl had done until now – other than screaming and crying; making fourteen pair of eyes swivel onto her wide, watering ones. However, the sharp intake of breath was too much for Lux-Vita's damaged and swollen cord and she began coughing violently making everyone cringe backwards.

"Bilbo, _Bilbo_ , go get her a large glass of lukewarm water, _hurry!_ " shouted out Gandalf, pressing Lux-Vita's skeletal form into his arms, his old wrinkled but rough hands rubbing her back continuously in a circling and soothing motion.

"Back away from her Ori, she may be carrying some sort of disease," hissed Dori, as Ori seemed to be curious of the girl and was edging forward to help.

Unfortunately, Gandalf heard him and both grey eyes glared at Dori's darker shade of grey, "Don't be a fool Master Dwarf, she carries no disease at all … I urge you to be more thoughtful when you want to speak in louder tones that necessary!"

Dori looked properly chastised and he nodded, settling himself further away from the girl and avoiding any eye contact. Thorin however, didn't like Gandalf yelling at his Company for the sake of the weak girl – of course the subject of a dragon would be too much for such a frail person to handle, but he wasn't about to eliminate things in fear of alarming her – she was not his responsibility, she was nothing to his Company but a distraction and a time-waster.

Bilbo retuned quickly with a glass of water, and he even placed a jug filled to the brim with lukewarm water in case she needed more. Gandalf held the glass out for her, helping her to drink it all, and only once she had every drop disappear into her system, did her coughs cease at once, though the pain intensified now with every dry swallow.

Thorin, unable to help himself, sneered at the girl, "Unable to handle the mere mention of a dragon girl?!"

Some from the Company began chuckling in her expense, not bothering to smother their laughter at all; but Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Bifur and Balin were the only ones that didn't approve of Thorin's words and didn't feel the need to laugh.

But to everyone's surprise, Lux-Vita didn't cower and avert her eyes, instead she glared back at Thorin, her dead and hollow eyes burying deep into his skull, erasing the sneer from Thorin's face.

Lux-Vita so wished she could destroy everyone's continued hilarity toward her; if those arrogant dwarves only knew how experienced she was in regards to dragons and what she had experienced in her life they would be laughing no more, but she wasn't about to abuse her vocal cords further for his expense, and she still wasn't comfortable around any male, and so she tore her eyes away from Thorin and burrowed herself into Gandalf's cloak.

"Thorin asked you a question, girl! Answer him!" roared Dwalin, a hand placed on his axe. Balin shook his head in disappointment; there was no need to speak to the poor lass with such hostility, his heart went out to the clearly traumatized girl.

"Enough!" boomed Gandalf, "Mind the way you speak to her Dwalin! She is not only a girl, but _my charge_ , and I will not have any of you speak to her with such disrespect!"

Ori felt bad for the poor girl who looked even younger than himself, Kíli and Fíli and they were the youngest of the company, so he took it upon himself to divert the attention away. Standing up, he lifted a fist into the air and yelled, "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him the taste of Dwarvish iron right up his jacksy."

Laughter broke out at Ori's words and Dori forcefully pushed his younger brother down, growling at him to sit. Feeling pleased with his success, he noticed Fíli and Kíli were staring at him from the opposite corner of the table, and as he turned to face them, their faces broke out into identical smiles, Fíli winked at him and Kíli raised a thumbs up. Ori smiled; of course the brothers wouldn't be fool by his diversion tactic.

"The task will be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen. Not thirteen of the best, nor the brightest," Balin sighed sadly.

Balin's words succeeded in breaking out another argument as all the dwarves began protesting vehemently, sounding deeply insulted.

"Who are you calling dim?"

"Watch it!"

"No!"

Standing up harshly, Fíli yelled, "We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!"

"And you forget," Kíli now stood, joining his brother, "We have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time."

Now all the attention was on Gandalf, who felt slightly uncomfortable, "I, uh, what?"

"How many dragons have you killed?" asked Dori eagerly, but when Gandalf wouldn't answer, he was under the misgivings that the wizard was probably just being modest, "Go on, give us a number!"

Embarrassed, Gandalf starts coughing on his pipe smoke, but upon feeling the small figure of the girl shaking in repressed and silent laughter, a thought came into his head; a though explaining her sudden reaction when Bofur and Bilbo first mentioned dragons.

It wasn't a reaction of fear, but of surprise – she must have faced dragons in her world … was it possible? Looking sideways at the girl, he decided to ask, not caring that the Company would be able to hear; after all they should start getting used to the others presence.

"How many, my dear girl?" he asked, silencing all the dwarves that began arguing about the number of dragons he must have killed, and Thorin who looked annoyed by his Company's outburst stilled from rubbing his temples, his eyes concentrating on Gandalf and the frail human.

Lux-Vita looked at him with wide eyes, knowing that she was caught and Gandalf merely smirked, "You have encountered dragons before, haven't you?" Lux-Vita sighed lowly, trying not to disturb her throat she nodded.

"I thought so," and Gandalf sounded very smug at the moment, regarding the girl with curious twinkling eyes that reminded her of Dumbledore, he asked, "How many?"

All thirteen dwarves and Bilbo stared at the girl in quiet disbelief; they watched as her eyes screwed up in thought as if she was trying to count _how many dragons she encountered_! That was utterly preposterous; the weak girl couldn't even manage to keep eye contact with the hobbit!

Finally, Lux-Vita held out a hand with all five digits up and Gandalf gasped, half-shocked and half-awed, he blurted out, "Five?! Are there many dragons where you come from?"

Lux-vita nodded, "A l-lot."

"You actually expect us to believe that the little lass, who could barely stand on her own two feet has faced five dragons," scoffed Dwalin, meeting Thorin's eyes and rolling them. Lux-Vita merely shrugged, she didn't care whether they believed her or not, she just wanted the attention diverted away from her.

All the dwarves began roaring out their disbelief, stamping their feet on the ground and Thorin finally had enough, he stood up fast, his chair banging onto the wall loudly and bellowed, "Atkât! If we have read these signs, do you not think that others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, and weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!

All the dwarves began to cheer in earnest, banging their first against Bilbo's poor and abused table that looked like it was about to fall apart.

Lux-Vita felt something stir inside of her, she felt a bit of life be brought back after Thorin's words … they wanted their home back and the hero-complex in her, the brave fighter that still resided deep inside of her, wanted to help them, but the raw pain of Cedric's death and what Voldemort did to her was too much and thinking about her hero-complexness threatened the tears to emerge; it was one of her traits that Cedric loved so much about her.

Once the dwarves settled back down, Balin said in a mourning tone, "You forget; the front door is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"That," began Gandalf in a mysterious tone that reminded Lux-Vita too much of Dumbledore at that moment, "my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Twiddling his fingers, he produced a dwarvish key, ornately shaped.

Everyone gasped in shock and Thorin looked at the key in wonder, his eyes losing the icy quality to it.

"How came you by this?" gasped Thorin, his eyes misting slightly.

"It was given to me," said Gandalf matter-of-factly, "by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping," he added. Looking at Thorin in the eyes with a small smile, he said, "It is yours now."

Taking the key from Gandalf, the dwarves all stared with pride and wonder.

"If there is a key, there must be a door!" blurted out Fíli in his excitement, and Lux-Vita stared at him sadly, she knew that before Cedric's death, she would have laughed out loud since he had stated the obvious.

"There's another way in!" Kíli stupidly added.

"If we can find it," Gandalf warned them, "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. but there are others in Middle Earth who can," brushing over the fact that Lord Elrond in Rivendell would be able to read it, not wanting to argue about the elves and the feud the dwarves have between them at the moment, he went on, "The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar," said Ori in an obvious tone.

"And a good one, too," Bilbo- bless the lad, stated, nodding in agreement with Ori's words. "An expert, I'd imagine."

"And are you?" asked Glóin gruffly.

Looking at Glóin, he blinked in confusion, "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" Óin burst out laughing in cheer, his face looking from left to right in excitement.

"Me?" Bilbo gaped. "No, no, no." he stuttered, "I'm not a- I'm not a burglar, I've never stolen a thing in my life," he burst out.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins," Balin sighed woefully. "He's hardly burglar material."

Bilbo nodded smugly in agreement, glad that somebody else was on his side.

"Aye," Dwalin growled out, "The wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight not fend for themselves," staring at the girl, he added, "Neither are little girls!"

Lux-Vita snorted, drawing the attention back to her, but she said nothing and stayed burrowed into Gandalf's side; if only everyone thought that way, no matter how sexist it sounded … but she had escaped death many times and was included in a war ever since she had been born for reasons she does not know as Dumbledore wouldn't explain. So it was hilarious to her that these dwarves thought of her as unable to protect herself; but in retrospect, with the condition she was in now, she couldn't blame them.

Gone was the brave Lux-Vita Laelynn Potter that rescued a unicorn and the Sorcerer's Stone from Voldemort; gone was the girl that rescued her best friend's little sister, fought off and killed a Basilisk and the memory of a young Voldemort; gone was the girl that repelled hundreds of Dementors; gone was the girl that outflew a dragon, swam in a lake infested with Grindylows and merfolk to rescue two hostages, and a maze full of dangerous creatures; gone was the girl that managed to escape Voldemort and his Death Eaters from the graveyard with her life.

Instead she was left a shell of a ghost, scared by the littlest of sounds and flinched from every touch.

Gandalf growing angry, stood up and rose himself to his full height casting darkness over the group as he starts speaking in his powerful voice, making all the dwarves stare in awe.

"Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." Going back to his normal self, he continued in a lighter and explanatory tone, "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself," turning to Thorin, his eyes pleading and his tone urgent, "You must trust be on this."

Thorin studied Gandalf for a while longer before nodding in defeat, "Very well. We'll do it your way. Give him the contract." Gandalf let out a breath of relief, a smile on his face as Balin began explaining the contract to Bilbo.

Thorin averted his attention back to the girl – she was the only one not surprised by Gandalf's power and the darkness he created, which made him curious, "What about the girl, Tharkûn?" causing all but Bilbo, who was reading the contract, to stare.

"What about her?" asked Gandalf, his eyes glued to Thorin's.

"Why bring the girl? I will not allow my Company to risk their necks for her life. She can barely walk without your support and she will keep us behind," Thorin growled out.

"I have already mentioned enough times that Lux-Vita is _my_ responsibility, I will be the one protecting her, you all need not worry yourselves about her safety," said Gandalf in a tone that held finality.

"Our quest is important Tharkûn, and she will be nothing but a distraction," Thorin wasn't about to take no as an answer without a fight.

There was a tense silent in the air as the dwarves stared at the girl who was avoiding all eye contact and Gandalf who stared at Thorin in a regarding and annoyed manner.

"Do you honestly believe Thorin," said Gandalf, in a voice made of steel, "That I am merely a magician made to conjure tricks? I have duties in Middle Earth, and Lux-Vita is one of them … helping you to reclaim Erebor is _not_ my only priority."

"What do you mean Gandalf?" asked Balin curiously, everyone seemed to be drawn into Gandalf's next words.

"I have been entrusted to look out for Lux-Vita. She may not look it, but there is plenty of courage inside of her, and she is _very_ important to the future of Middle Earth … she is not from our world," Gandalf explained.

"You mean there are other worlds out there?" asked Ori in awe, ever the scholar in thirst for information.

Smiling at young Ori indulgently, Gandalf explained further, "It was known to a fair few in our world that there was only _one_ other world out there. A world different from our own, with its own danger and peril, where there is only the Race of Men. No elves, no dwarves, no orcs and wargs, nothing but humans. A world that evolves with every decade."

Everyone was shocked; the only sound was the occasional squeak and muttering from Bilbo as he read through every word in the contract.

"And what about Lux-Vita?" asked Fíli, garnering some strange looks from everyone but his brother at having not called her ' _the girl',_ but by her given name.

"Ah, now Lux-Vita," here, they all watched as Gandalf waited for Lux-Vita to give him permission to tell them, and after a lengthy pause, she gave him a barely noticeable nod. "Their world is simply called Earth. And in Earth, there is another kind from the Race of Men, a race that lives in complete secrecy. It is called the Wizarding world, where according to the little information that Lux-Vita had given me, a lot of witches and wizards thrive. Lux-Vita is a witch, and she was transported from her magical school into our world, where I was told I could find her by Bindbole Wood."

"I don't believe you," gasped out Glóin.

"Whether you so choose to believe me or not Master Dwarf, that is your choice. I have given you the information you so required, and I will not have you bully the girl for more … it is up to her, if and when she decides to part any information," said Gandalf with a tone of finality. He turned to the girl and poured her another glass of water.

"I cannot guarantee his safety, nor will I be responsible for his fate Tharkûn," said Thorin adamantly, referring to the Bilbo.

Nodding, Gandalf said in a weary tone, "Understood." Just then, poor Bilbo Baggins fainted from the information overload that Bofur gave him about the dragon incinerating his flesh.

"You're very helpful Bofur," barked Gandalf in disapproval, standing by the unconscious hobbit and taking him into the living room, leaving Lux-Vita with the thirteen dwarves for a while, all of whom stared at her, looks ranging from curiosity, to annoyance to hostility and anger.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **Thank you** **lostfeather1** **for bringing it to my attention; I know that dwarves don't treat woman or children with hostility, and there are plenty reasons to explain the dwarves' treatment of Lux-Vita. Yes, they treat children kindly, but mostly from the race of dwarves, they don't care much for men and elves. Secondly, they don't know that Lux-Vita is merely 14; she may look small and tiny, but so do hobbits and they are actually older than they look. All the dwarves do know is that she is a girl and Gandalf's charge. Thorin is obsessed with getting Erebor back and he sees her as a weakness and a distraction and so he won't treat her pleasantly for that main reason; and also because he is hoping that she would decide not to join them on their quest to Erebor and stay behind. I hope this answers your question & enjoy the new chapter! =)**

 **Chapter 5:** __

Lux-Vita tried making herself as small as possible, cursing Gandalf in her head for leaving her with thirteen _male_ dwarves on her own. Then Lux-Vita felt guilty; it wasn't Gandalf's fault.

Gandalf was a busy wizard, he had a lot of better things to do that to take care of a traumatized little girl that appeared from another world and put a kink to his plans. She couldn't grudge Gandalf for leaving her; the small man fainted and he had to take care of him and deal with certain situations.

Lux-Vita knew that she would have to try and not make herself a burden to him once they left this place; the dwarves needed Gandalf's help, and he won't be able to waste all his time babying her, ignoring the dwarves and delaying their quest.

Lux-Vita was snapped out of her reverie when the dwarf with brown hair and eyes and barely any beard asked her a question, making her jump as he had startled her.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss," he said with an apologetic look.

"N-no, i-its my f-fau-fault, I w-was thi-think-thinking, wh-what did you s-s-say?" asked Lux-Vita, trying to stop her body from trembling as all the dwarves attention were fixated solely on her.

"I asked if you were alright. You looked lost in thought," said the same dwarf – she couldn't remember his name.

"You don't mind us speaking to you?" asked the blonde next to him.

"Uh, n-no, it-its o-okay," said Lux-Vita timidly. She really needed to have Gandalf check her throat, it really did hurt to speak and she could barely voice a few words without stuttering.

The problem was Madam Pomfrey wasn't able to check all her wounds due to the Minister's interruption; after he had left, Headmaster Dumbledore made sure she drank a Dreamless Sleeping Potion. Since Lux-Vita couldn't inform him what happened in the graveyard, Dumbledore was going to check what injuries were inflicted through the memory she had given him, so that Madam Pomfrey could treat them –Dumbledore knew her too well, he knew that she would downplay her injuries.

Unfortunately, Lux-Vita ended up in this world before she could get treated, and other than her voice cord being swollen and sore from all the screaming, her leg was weak from the acromantula bite, her arm was worse for wear from the deep gash Wormtail made to get access to her blood, and she had bruises all over her body from Voldemort's defiling.

Lux-Vita also knew that she would be feeling the after-effects soon from being under multiple Cruciatus Curse's for so long.

"Hmm, so the girl isn't so easily frightened after all," the redhead she remembered called Glóin grumbled out.

Lux-Vita flinched when he called her girl, though she tried to play it off as being caught by surprise.

Unknown to her however, the dwarves noticed her flinch, and although some of the dwarves – Balin, Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Bifur and Bofur looked concerned, the other dwarves took it as a sign of weakness, and they snorted.

"Are you really from another world?" asked Ori timidly, not wanting to frighten the poor lass; he hoped that she would not be terrified of them anymore later on, he was itching to ask her all sorts of questions about her world and write them down.

Lux-Vita gave a small nod that was barely noticeable, but they all caught it and Ori beamed excitedly.

"Girl! Speak! Use your words," barked out Thorin, having had enough of her frightful attitude; if the girl was to be going with them on the journey to Erebor, then she would have to stop being scared and weak, he won't be having her slow them down and become their burden.

Lux-Vita swallowed, wincing at the amount of pain that small action brought her. She glared at the dwarf she knew to be called Thorin, she may be traumatized and be seen as weak at the moment, and she might never recover back to her old self, but she will be damned if she would allow him to intimidate her.

Most of the dwarves looked surprised at the amount of heat that was in the glare she threw at Thorin, and he himself looked taken aback as he saw himself staring at empty and hollow emerald green eyes; the deadened look was still there, and there was no life to be seen in her eyes, but Thorin did not fail to recognize the anger directed at him.

Suddenly, Glóin saw something sparkle in her hand due to the light reflected in the dining room. Looking down at her right hand, Glóin's breath was caught at the marvelous piece of jewelry; it was exquisite and the stones used were rare, mostly found down the mines in Moria.

"Where did you get that?" growled Glóin, pointing a thick finger in the direction of the ring.

"Glóin, what are-"began Balin looking baffled, before following the direction Glóin's finger was pointing at, and he understood, his eyes widening.

There was sharp intake of breath coming from all thirteen dwarves in the room as they all caught on to what Glóin was referring to, their eyes all widened at the magnificent piece she innocently wore on her hand.

Lux-Vita noticed them all staring at her ring, and she froze. Ever since Voldemort had Cedric murdered, she had been trying her hardest to block all thoughts of the night he proposed to her; she would subconsciously trace her ring all day, but she never let her eyes stray as far as looking at it.

Lux-Vita covered her hand and went to place it under the table, before a rough hand held her wrist in a tight grip, making Lux-Vita yell out loud, although not loud enough for Gandalf to hear from the other room where he was currently having a heated discussion with the hobbit.

"He asked you a question, answer him!" ordered the baritone voice she recognized as being Thorin's, but she couldn't look up for her eyes were amplified, staring down at the hand holding her wrist, unable to process a single thought as fear trickled down her spine.

She felt helpless and weak. She didn't feel like Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter, Girl-Who-Lived and savior of the Wizarding World. She didn't feel like the girl that slayed the Basilisk. She felt like a rape victim being held against her will once again. _Weak._

The dwarves stilled in their seats, their eyes shifting from an enraged Thorin to the frightened lass.

Upon hearing a whimper, Balin's attention flickered over to the girl whose whole body began trembling and whose eyes had widened in fear, unable to detach her eyes from Thorin's hand.

"Thorin, _Thorin_ , let go of the girl's wrist," said Balin softly yet sternly.

Thorin lifted his eyes to Balin's worried brown ones, he then went to look at the girl and saw that she looked so terribly frightened, and he abruptly let go of her hand as though it had been burned.

The dwarves all watched in surprise as the second Thorin let go of her wrist, she scrambled off of her seat, and hobbled over as quick as she could to the wall, her eyes staring at all thirteen dwarves in fear, and her mouth held agape.

"Lassie," said Balin in a soft and calm voice, "Can you tell us where you got the ring you wear from?"

Lux-Vita slowly shifted her eyes to see who the kind voice belonged to, and saw it to be a shorter dwarf than the rest, with soft brown eyes, and white long hair and beard reminiscent to Dumbledore's.

"I-I, I didn't s-ste-steal it i-if th-that's wh-what y-y-you're imp-imply-implying," said Lux-Vita tearfully, she could feel the tears were threatening to come out.

"Now, now, we didn't say that," admonished Balin, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, but he was interrupted by a few snorts of disbelief.

"Speak for yourself Balin, I believe she did steal it!" growled Glóin.

" _Where did you get it_?!" seethed Thorin, his eyes burning into Lux-Vita's face.

Slowly, almost trance-like, Lux-Vita looked down at her right hand, and her breath caught as she found herself looking into the ring Cedric gave her for the first time since his death.

The thirteen dwarves watched as a look of shock, surprise and then grief flitted across the girl's face, like a rainbow. They heard the small gasp that sounded from her raw and chapped lips, before a finger from her left hand lovingly and carefully stroked each gem.

"I-It w-was, i-it w-w-was g-g-gi-given to-t-to m-me," the lass said in a broken voice that was filled with raw grief, each word was separated by a sob, and most of the dwarves began squirming in their seats uncomfortably, some even looked away, feeling like they were interrupting a private moment.

Looking up, they were all shocked to see tears streak down her face, but she gave them no mind as she stuttered out in a raspy voice, "Ex-Ex-Excuse m-me," before walking away with a slight limp.

"Well I hope you two are happy with yourselves," snapped Balin, addressing both Thorin and Glóin.

"What? I'm telling you! The girl stole that ring, probably from some poor dead dwarf's body!" growled Glóin.

"Those gems are not so easily found Balin, the silver itself is rare … mostly the mines of Moria would have them," snapped Dwalin.

"She is hiding something," growled Thorin. "I am the leader of this Company, I have the right to demand questions from her," he continued adamantly.

"You forget uncle, that Lux-Vita isn't coming as a part of _your_ Company," snapped Fíli, his eyes piercing Thorin' – eyes identical to his uncle's.

Most of the dwarves gasped, increasingly uncomfortable now that their king and prince were glaring at each other. Thorin was surprised that his heir would speak to him in such a manner, and in defense of the girl.

"What did you say Fíli?" growled Thorin, his eyes held a warning, but Fíli didn't care; the way his uncle and most of the Company were treating Lux-Vita was downright cruel, and as the heir to the throne of Erebor he wasn't going to allow them to hassle the poor girl any longer.

"You heard me Thorin. She _isn't_ a part of your Company; she's coming with Gandalf, under _his_ protection. She doesn't answer to you, and you _don't_ have the right to demand questions from her," said Fíli in an authoritative tone.

That reminder had some of the dwarves looking nervous. It was easy to forget that the lass was Gandalf's charge, and they weren't looking forward to when the wizard found out about what happened when he trusted to leave her alone with them.

"Also," said Kíli his voice rising as he looked up at all the dwarves, "You forget Master Glóin that Lux-Vita is not from our world. Her ring must not be rare as it is in Middle Earth."

If the situation wasn't so tense, Fíli and Kíli would have laughed so hard at the comical look on Glóin's face.

"I forgot," grunted Glóin, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"I just hope Tharkûn will not do something unsavory to you when he finds out," said Balin as he shook his head.

"And _why_ ," a deep voice boomed from the corner of the room, and they were all startled when they noticed that Gandalf stood by the doorway, "Would I see the need to do something unsavory?"

"Uh, well, you see-"Glóin looked lost for words.

Thorin sat up straight and looked Gandalf in the eye, not about to let himself cower to him, "We were merely asking the girl some questions, she didn't deem to give us any answers."

Gandalf calmly stared at the thirteen dwarves, most of whom looked contrite, suddenly as though a dam broke, the black shadows emerged from him, hovering around the dining table, "So not only did you _ignore_ my warning, but you _deliberately_ terrified the poor girl!"

Regarding all the dwarves, he asked in a no nonsense voice, "What may I ask did you all say to make her leave," when none of the dwarves responded, his voice darkened and wind began picking up through the room causing the dwarves to cry out, "I will not ask again, _TELL ME!_ " he boomed, slamming his staff on the ground loudly, causing the room to shake slightly.

The ruckus caused Bilbo to run out from his room. When Bilbo Baggins reached the kitchen however, his eyes widened and he took a step back, his eyes flickering from the angry wizard to the fearful dwarves. Bilbo had never seen Gandalf this mad in all his life; he was always the eccentric, calm and aggravating wizard, but never terrifying.

"Glóin caught sight of Lux-Vita's ring, and he demanded to know from where she got it," said Fíli quickly.

"How was I to know? I've only seen such gems in the mines of Moria," grumbled Glóin.

"They forgot that she was from another world," said Kíli pleadingly, _Mahal, Gandalf was scary_.

The wind went away, the room lit up again, and the suffocating feeling disappeared.

Gandalf stood staring at all the dwarves, his eyes narrowed and his mouth puckered into a frown, "You should be ashamed of yourselves. I left the girl alone with you with the intention of having you all get along, and for her to become familiar with the presence of thirteen dwarves. It seems, it seems I was mistaken when I informed her that dwarves treat women like their greatest treasure."

And with that, Gandalf stormed out of the dining room, passing Bilbo without even a second glance, his cloak billowing after him, leaving behind thirteen guilty and abashed dwarves and one frightened hobbit.

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

Lux-Vita ran away from the dwarves to the best of her ability especially with a weak leg out to the garden, collapsing on all fours on the soft grass.

Her body wracked with sobs, her hands scrunching the grass, as the tears fell down in torrents. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to go back home.

She wanted Sirius, her loving godfather, the one she saw as a father; a father she never remembered having. Sirius made her feel loved, and cared for.

She wanted Ron and Hermione, her best friends, the ones she knew would never betray her or leave her, the ones that would make her laugh and stay with her through thick and thin.

She wanted Dumbledore, her mentor, the one that she saw as a quirky but kind and gentle grandfather.

But most of all, she wanted Cedric. She wanted her fiancé, the love of her life, the one that would make everything better for her; the one that never failed in making her smile.

Looking down at the engagement ring, the ring from the Diggory vault, worn by generations of women that married into the Diggory line, the ring that Cedric had the goblins modify specifically for her.

" _You're a unique person Lux; you deserve a unique ring to match your personality."_

He would repeat that to her ever since he proposed, making sure that Lux-Vita would never forget it, would never forget her worth.

" _You deserve to be treated like a princess."_

Cedric's words kept reverberating in her head, like an echo, repeating itself over and over again. Cedric was dead, yet his lovely, sweet voice was following her, was haunting her in Middle Earth.

Lux-Vita was kneeling on the grass, staring down in a trance at her ring, studying every detail, every gem, everything Cedric personally had the goblins modify for her.

" _I had them place the emerald gem because your eyes are the exact shape, cut and color of emeralds. Your eyes even sparkle merrily as they do when caught in the light Lux, it's like your eyes were plucked by the gods and given to you._

 _The ruby gem is for your hair. Your hair is not red, or auburn or copper, it's the exact color, the exact shade of rubies, it has the same shine to it, and it is uniquely you._

 _Topaz, topaz; the topaz is for you to remember me always, in case anything were to happen to me Lux, all you have to do is look at your ring, and remember my bronze hair and my golden eyes. You'll never truly be without me in this world, it may sound silly, but my spirit will always be with you, just look at the topaz and you'll see, you'll remember my words."_

" _Oh? Tell me Cedric, what is the diamond for then?"_

" _The diamond my dear Lux. It represents you; its rarity and beauty, just like you. It's a symbol of purity and innocence, of love and fidelity, strength of character and faithfulness to oneself and others, defining you, and only you. But most of all, diamonds are a crystal of light, and you, are my light, my Lux."_

Lux-Vita's body wracked with sobs as she remembered the exact words Cedric told her. She was finally able to tear her eyes from her ring as her body began to spasm harshly, chattering her teeth against each other, and she knew that her distress was activating the effects of the Cruciatus Curse.

Loud wails emerged from her mouth involuntarily; her hands were trembling; her body breaking out in seizures; her mind was off somewhere else, somewhere far away, somewhere dark, and somewhere she knew she should not dwell in.

" _Kill the spare!"_

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

 _Wide golden eyes looking up at her blank and expressionless, deadened and hollow._

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so s-s-sorryyy, C-Cedric!" rasped Lux-Vita, her trembling hand clutching her throat, ignoring the agonizing pain that seared her with every word uttered, "I-I-I'm so s-s-sorryy! F-Forgive me!"

"Lux-Vita?" a soft voice spoke from behind her; so lost in what had happened to her mere hours ago, a scream rang out of her mouth, cowering slightly, she turned around to see Gandalf and tears of relief escaped from her eyelids.

Gandalf's eyes softened at seeing the state she was in; _the stubbornness of dwarves!_ Something told him that he would be repeating the sentiment many times during their journey.

Crouching down, Gandalf walked slow and careful steps to the little girl with red-rimmed eyes. When he was but an inch away from her, he imitated her and kneeled before her, "Why do you cry, my child?"

Lux-Vita stared back at him with empty eyes, causing a shiver to go down his spine, "I-It's all my f-f-fault, h-he's g-g-gone!" she cried out, her face overflowing with tears.

Gandalf frowned; something triggered a memory within her for her to be in such a state.

 _The ring!_

Glóin asked her about the ring, and Thorin demanded an answer. The ring must mean something special, and it triggered a memory.

"Lux-Vita, when they asked about your ring, it triggered a memory didn't it?" asked Gandalf calmly, not wanting her to flinch and cower away.

Lux-Vita nodded, her fingers fiddling with said ring.

Gandalf frowned upon noticing her body trembling wildly … probably due to all the crying, perhaps? Deciding that he would think of that later on, he asked, "It is an engagement ring, am I right? Entering courtship?"

Again, Lux-Vita nodded, but the tears never stopped falling; she looked up at him with hollow eyes, eyes that have seen too much.

Looking sadly at the girl, Gandalf asked the dreaded question, he had been having his suspicions since he found her at Bindbole Woods, "And … where is he now?"

There was silence but the sniffles and sobs from the girl, no movement but the occasional tremors of her body.

Slowly, Lux-Vita glanced at Gandalf, her face the picture of raw pain, her chapped lips opened and she croaked out in a hopeless, broken down voice, a voice that spoke in volumes, "G-Gone. D-D-Dead!"

"Oh child," Gandalf breathed out, engulfing her in a hug, "If you ever need to talk about it, know that I am here."

After a few minutes, the girl went completely silent and Gandalf looked down, noticing the girl had fallen asleep in his arms. Carefully, he carried her in his arms and made his way back into the smial.

Thirteen dwarves and Bilbo Baggins all sat around waiting for him, and upon seeing Lux-Vita sleeping in his arms, her face all blotchy and red, eyes puffed up and swollen, and face streaked with tears, they all looked away contritely.

"Bilbo, do you mind parting with a room just for the night so that Lux-Vita could sleep in a bed comfortably?" asked Gandalf.

"Oh, but of course Gandalf, yes, yes. Come along, I'll show you to one of my many guest rooms," said Bilbo hastily, leading the way down the corridor.

As Gandalf placed Lux-Vita in a bed and tucked her in, he stared at for a while, watching as her body shook every once in a while; _how odd._

 _Yes, Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter's soul is definitely fading._

***Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter***

As Gandalf disappeared into a room to place the sleeping girl in bed, Thorin couldn't peel his eyes away.

He didn't like to see a woman cry, but he couldn't have her death on his conscience, and the journey to Erebor was perilous one; it was no place for a woman or the weak, and the girl would not last long – charge of Gandalf's or not.

He didn't know what the wizard was playing at for bringing her along. The girl could barely walk straight; she couldn't even hold eye contact with anyone or form a complete sentence without stuttering. The smallest noise would make her flinch and when anyone came near her she would scream at the top of her lungs.

Bringing her along would get them caught multiple times with orcs, wargs or even bandits.

But Gandalf had decided, and he could not argue with him anymore; they needed the wizard's help, but without the girl, he wouldn't come.

Sighing, Thorin looked around at the rest of his company; Fíli and Kíli's eyes strayed every few seconds to the door Gandalf and the girl disappeared to – he didn't know why his nephews cared so much for the strange girl, she was naught but a stranger.

Balin gave him a knowing look, but he didn't say anything. A silent agreement had been made not to speak of the girl at least for the rest of the night.

"So, did the Burglar sign the contract?" asked Dwalin, filling in the silence.

"No," sighed Balin, "It appears we have lost our burglar. Probably for the best. The odds were always against us," he further explained, a sad look in his eyes, "After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy makers; hardly the stuff of legend."

"There are a few warriors amongst us," corrected Thorin.

" _Old_ warriors," Balin smiled sadly.

"I will take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered," said Thorin emotionally, looking around at each and every dwarf that sat around him, "Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that," he said, shaking his head.

"You don't have to do this," said Balin, feeling that the words had to be said, "You have a choice. You've done honorably by our people. You have built us a new life for us in the Blue Mountains, a life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."

Looking at Balin for a few seconds, Thorin held out the key Gandalf had given him; the key that had belonged to Thrain, and before him, Thror.

"From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland," said Thorin compassionately, "There is no choice, Balin. Not for me."

Balin nodded, "Then we are with you, laddie. We will see it done."

The dwarves gathered around in Bilbo's living room, smoking their pipes by the lit fire.

One by one, they all begin humming, and after a minute, Thorin began singing, his baritone voice filled with passion and longing.

 _Far over the Misty Mountains cold_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_

 _We must ere break of day_

 _To seek the pale enchanted gold._

The other dwarves began singing, their voices joining Thorin's as they continue in a solemn tone.

 _The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_

 _While hammers fell like ringing bells_

 _In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

 _In hollow halls beneath the fells._

The thirteen dwarves continued singing into the night; words of the love of beautiful things made by hands, and a fierce and jealous love to be protected.

The desire of the hearts of dwarves.

Erebor.

 **A/N:** **Hear we have it; finally Lux-Vita tells someone about Cedric, but of course Gandalf can keep a secret.**

 **In case anyone is confused, when Lux-Vita was crying in Bilbo's garden, the italic parts are her memories.**

 **Next chapter we will finally see them leaving Bag End and the Shire.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **Okay peeps, I'm back sorry for taking long it's just I'm writing so many fanfics at the same time. Just a little warning for my future chapters that I would like to elaborate from know because some faithful hobbit readers might get confused: I am NOT going to be following allotted time it took to reach Erebor; in the book and the movies I think it was around 6 months, but for my story it is going to be longer, and the distance to places would be longer as well, as I want to add a lot of things in between. There will be some occurrences that is like the book or movie, and there will be some I made up. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Chapter 6:**

Lux-Vita felt the sunlight shine brightly on her face when she had woken up, finding herself in a tiny bed that fit her emaciated form. Her throat felt hoarse and as scratchy as ever and she knew that she should have Gandalf check it soon; she would ask any of the dwarves, maybe there was a healer amongst them, but she wanted to avoid them as much as possible, which would be hard as they were all travelling together.

They say that crying is good for the soul, but Lux-Vita felt horrible; swallowing now hurt immensely, and she could taste blood, her muscles were strained and her face was all blotchy; she was sure that her eyes were all red, and she felt embarrassed that the dwarves may have witnessed her blubbering by the garden. Lux-Vita hated looking weak.

She knew Gandalf must have tucked her in, and she was grateful to him; in the day that she got to know him, she sensed him to be a very wise wizard with an incredible eye to detail and she hoped that he wouldn't notice her spasms now that she wasn't crying anymore, and her body wasn't shaking with sobs.

Lux-Vita knew there to be a potion taken for helping with the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse, reducing the tremors. Problem was, she wasn't given any since she hadn't spoken a word since her arrival with the cup and Cedric, and it wasn't taught at Hogwarts, so she wouldn't know what ingredients were needed; even if she did know however, she didn't have the equipment for potion-making with her and the ingredients probably didn't even exist in this world.

Cringing at the sound of her bones cracking as she got off the bed, Lux-Vita hastily placed a cleaning and refreshing charm on her hair, body, mouth and clothes so that she wouldn't stink. Her hair however was still a bit greasy as it was matted with blood, dirt and acromantula venom from the third task. Lux-Vita didn't dare use a more effective charm due to her arm tremors; her hand kept shaking, and after four years at Hogwarts, she knew it to be dangerous to do an inaccurate spell on yourself; she could end up accidentally setting herself on fire or worse.

Making her way out of the room she had slept in, Lux-Vita could hear snoring, and upon entering the living room she saw that there were eight of the thirteen dwarves fast asleep on the floor, and even though it looked to be comfortable for them, Lux-Vita cringed at what the hardwood floor would do to her aching limbs.

Unknown to Lux-Vita, Thorin heard her shuffling and noticed her cringe when observing the dwarves sleeping on the ground; this cemented the opinion Thorin made on her that she was too weak to survive with them on the road. If she so much as complained about their roughing it and sleeping outdoors, he would demand Gandalf to send her back. Wizard or not, he would not have a spoilt princess slow them down and get on their nerves.

Lux-Vita felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of her head, and she turned to find a pair of icy blue eyes glaring daggers at her, making her flinch – cursing herself at her obvious show of weakness; Lux-Vita wasn't one to flinch away from people, she hated the shriveled shell Voldemort had turned her into; he succeeded in making her weak.

Tentatively, she looked back at Thorin and saw him to be seated with Balin and the burly, menacing looking dwarf with tattoos. Balin smiled at her with a little wave which she returned with a diminutive nod, while the tattooed dwarf glared at her just like he constantly did last night.

She made her way over to the kitchen, hoping that a warm glass of water or lukewarm tea would soften her throat and remove the revolting taste of blood. She stood timidly by the doorway when she saw the rotund dwarf bustling around making breakfast, and the dwarf with an axe embedded into his head sitting on a stool.

The dwarf that was seated noticed her arrival and began grunting in harsh tones, waving his hand around in what Lux-Vita noticed to be some form of sign language, attracting the attention of the rotund dwarf who looked over at her with a kind smile.

Now Bombur had eleven children back in Ered Luin, and his beloved wife was currently pregnant with their twelfth child. Bombur's wife, Aniel was known as the marveled dwarrowdam among their kind, since it was rare for one to give birth to more than a child; maximum in history was three.

Bombur had five daughters, and the poor human girl reminded him dearly of them, and so he felt the need to fatten her up and care for her even if Thorin had a problem with her presence. Gandalf was correct yesterday when he had shouted at them after Glóin and Thorin managed to run her off in tears; dwarves looked upon females as their greatest treasure, and must be treated with respect.

"Hello lassie, did you want anything to eat?" Bombur asked her kindly, ignoring the fact that she flinched when spoken to.

Lux-Vita took tiny steps towards him and readied herself for the pain that would surely erupt from her throat for speaking, "I-It's o-okaym I-I j-j-just w-want w-warm w-wa-wat-water or lu-lu-lukew-warm t-tea."

"Ah Lass, I'll get that for you, you just sit over there by my cousin Bifur," the rotund dwarf smiled and Lux-Vita couldn't help but return it, he seemed like a friendly dwarf unlike the others, except for the brown-haired one with barely any beard, the blonde one and Balin.

She hesitantly sat by Bifur, making sure to keep some distance between them. She noticed that he was staring at her, and when she looked at him, he began waving his arms and grunting slightly.

"Here you go Lass," Bombur placed a glass of warm water and a cup of lukewarm tea, making Lux-Vita crack a wider smile at the kind dwarf, "T-Th-Thank y-y-you."

"No problem, I'll go ahead and continue breakfast. Bifur cannot speak Westron anymore due to the axe in his head, only the dwarvish sign language, Iglishmêk," the rotund dwarf added.

Lux-Vita nodded and looked at Bifur empathetically. The Dursleys enrolled Lux-Vita to school only when the neighbors noticed two years later that they only registered Dudley, and so they began taking her to school when she turned seven. Three years before she began learning in school, Lux-Vita would head off to the library and teach herself many things, and held a passion for languages, one of them happened to be sign language.

Lux-Vita looked at Bifur, studying the motion of his hands carefully and then made the formation of 'do you understand me' with her hands. Bifur grunted and made a motion with his hands that resembled 'a little bit', Bombur smiled when he noticed the human girl was engaging his cousin and didn't run away from him. Usually many dwarves would cringe away from him due to the axe embedded in his head.

The dwarves began filing into the kitchen with bleary eyes and their hair was in disarray, they clumsily sat on any free stool as Bombur began handing over plates filled with mountains of eggs, bacon rashers and toast.

Lux-Vita was shocked when the rotund dwarf placed a plate with equal portions on her plate; she honestly thought that they wouldn't feed her and was planning on making herself a small amount of breakfast when the dwarves were done eating.

Lux-Vita shook her head, ready to deny the food but the rotund dwarf smiled at her and said, "Lass you need to eat, I barely saw you eat yesterday. You're skin and bones, you need fattening up."

Lux-Vita nodded quickly, "Th-Th-Thank y-y-you," she whispered, ignoring the prying and curious eyes of the eleven dwarves that had recently walked in. She kept her eyes peeled on the food, and tried to restrain the tears that were threatening to fall out; the rotund dwarf reminded her of Mrs. Weasley who had never once failed to complain about how she was getting thinner and thinner whenever she went to the Burrow after summer from the Dursleys.

It hurt to swallow, but Lux-Vita managed by crushing each bite slightly with the back of her fork before placing it in her mouth, hiding any winces behind her hand; she didn't want anyone watching her suffer. However, what Lux-Vita didn't know, was that Gandalf remained hidden ever since she had woken up and entered the kitchen.

Gandalf observed how kind Bombur was to her – he had honestly expected it, seeing as he had five daughters back at the Blue Mountains. He was surprised that Lux-Vita could communicate slightly with Bifur, and came to the conclusion that in her world they had some form of similar sign language as well. Gandalf noticed how teary-eyed Lux-Vita became when Bombur gave her a big portion of food, insisting that she should eat more and fatten up and he concluded that she must have remembered someone from back home.

Gandalf however frowned when he observed how Lux-Vita would wince with every swallow, and upon taking a closer look from his hidden place, he watched her crush each bite with the cutlery, trying to soften them as much as possible.

Gandalf stroked his beard, pondering her strange actions; come to think of it, she was hobbling slightly, favoring one leg over the other, and clutching her right arm to her side constantly. Last night, he thought that her body spasms were due to her heavy sobbing, however, her body still shook with them from time to time.

"Girl! Since Tharkûn has insisted you travel among us, go change your clothes," Thorin growled, his icy eyes on her form, making her body shiver.

Lux-Vita stared fearfully at Thorin, shaking her head profusely, she stammered, "N-n-n-no, th-th-thank y-y-you, I-I'm f-fi-fine."

All thirteen dwarves stared at Lux-Vita in shock. Dwalin barked at her, "What do you mean you're fine, you're barely wearing anything."

"Indecent, dressed like a common harlot," Glóin growled.

Gandalf was furious; he wanted nothing more than to defend the poor girl, however he knew that she must learn to stand up for herself especially amongst dwarves, and he was curious to see who would defend the girl's honor.

"Glóin!" yelled Balin and Bombur looking appalled. Bifur began grunting and waving his hands that was too fast to comprehend by anyone, and Fíli and Kíli stood up angrily, glaring at Glóin who looked unbothered and unabashed.

Lux-Vita kept repeating a mantra in her head not to cry, she wasn't about to give Glóin the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She didn't have any clothes to change into, but she could still transfigure herself some clothes; problem was, she was suffering from spasms and didn't dare try any magic, and she didn't want to borrow any of the dwarves clothes, she just couldn't stomach it – the last male's clothes she had worn was Cedric's.

"How dare you speak to a lady with such disrespect," growled Fíli.

"Enough!" roared Thorin, banging his hand on the table roughly, making them all jump. He stared at Lux-Vita, his icy eyes boring into her deadened ones, and he growled out, "What do you mean no? You cannot travel in such a revealing garment."

"Lass, do you not have any clothes on you?" asked Balin softly, his warm brown eyes staring kindly at her.

Lux-Vita blushed, "Pl-please, I'm f-f-fine."

"That is enough, I think we should stop harassing the poor girl and start our journey. When we pass through Bree I'll get her a few spare clothes, in the meantime she will do with what she has on," Gandalf interrupted swiftly as he emerged from his hiding, and Lux-Vita gave him a thankful glance.

As the dwarves grunted and began to pile out of the room to pack their belongings and their weapons, Gandalf shouted after Glóin, "Master Glóin, don't let me hear you insult Lux-Vita again, or I will make sure you never be able to speak again by cutting out your tongue!"

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Lux-Vita sat outside cross-legged on the grass, enjoying the sunshine and the breeze of the wind while the dwarves began attaching their bags onto their ponies.

She watched the children play with a fond look on her face, immediately turning into a frown – she never had that sort of childhood; she was never allowed to play, make friends and just have fun. Instead, while all the children went out to play with their friends, she was forced to clean the house, cook the Dursleys food and run away from Dudley and his friends when they played Lux-Vita Lashing.

She missed sitting by the Black Lake with Ron and Hermione, the calming effects of the water and the ripples that appeared every time Ron disturbed it by throwing pebbles. She missed feeding the giant squid with Fred and George Weasley and their best friend Lee Jordan; the giant squid they dubbed 'Bob.' She missed her trusty Firebolt given to her by her godfather, and the rushing feeling when she performed the Wronski Feint and the amazing lightheadedness and freeing feeling she felt when playing Quidditch.

Inside the little smial, Gandalf being the tricky and meddling wizard that he was placed the contract signed by Thorin Oakenshield on Bilbo's table in the living room and left; he knew that Bilbo would sign it; he was merely just giving him a slight … _push_.

"My dear Lux-Vita, are you alright?" Gandalf asked Lux-Vita pleasantly, though concern shone in his eyes. Lux-Vita nodded a sad smile on her face. He looked over at the dwarves who were nearly done with saddling their ponies, "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

Lux-Vita shook her head in negative, "Wh-Who a-a-am I r-r-ri-riding wi-with?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"I do hope you don't mind accompanying an old man, I do promise to keep you safe," said Gandalf, and Lux-Vita knew he was trying to make her happy; he succeeded slightly as she managed to let out a painful giggle.

"Y-You're n-n-not old G-Gan-Gandalf."

"You flatter me, my child," Gandalf beamed at her, "Now come along, get up off the grass we must make haste and leave the Shire."

Thorin watched with anger as Gandalf helped the girl onto his horse before sitting behind her so that she wouldn't fall off. He knew that this was the last chance in keeping the girl with the hobbits in a safe place, and just as he was about to demand Gandalf that they leave her, he shot him a daring look. Thorin grumbled to himself as he yelled at his Company to begin moving onwards.

That damn wizard, nothing ever gets past him.

They began riding in mutual silent; no one spoke much, only the hat in a funny dwarf would occasionally hum a tune, while Bifur would carve a block of wood with his hands.

Lux-Vita was thankful that Gandalf offered her to ride with him; she didn't think that she could sit in such close contact with any of the dwarves. Gandalf was an old wizard and reminded her of Dumbledore, so she felt the safest and most relaxed around him.

Every once in a while, Lux-Vita couldn't help but fiddle with her engagement ring, a sad smile splayed on her face.

Thorin would subtly glance over at the girl, waiting for her to complain about the horse; he knew that beginners or anyone that have never ridden a horse, would complain about the back aches and soreness. However, much to his surprise, not a peep came out from her mouth. In fact, every time he would perchance a glance at her, he would find her staring and fingering her ring.

If he was to be honest with himself, he was extremely curious about that ring and its origins. The stones and the silver cut looked to be of great value and a rare find. Last night, he, like Glóin and Dwalin, had forgotten that the girl came from another world where it was probably not as rare to find as it was in Middle Earth.

One day, he promised himself, one day he would find out the truth about that ring.

"So, you think out burglar will come?" asked Óin, fixing his hearing aid.

"Aye, I say he comes," Fíli smirked.

"Hmph, well, if you're wagering on him, then I shall place a wager against him. I say he doesn't," shouted out Kíli jovially.

Lux-Vita couldn't help but smile to herself, those two reminded her of Fred and George Weasley; at least she had a part of her world with her in a way.

"I agree with the lad, five silvers says he doesn't," said Nori, nodding towards Kíli.

"What do you say Lux-Vita? You think dear Bilbo would grace us with his presence?" Gandalf asked Lux-Vita, his beard quivering slightly. Lux-Vita ignored the fact that all thirteen dwarves where staring at her and waiting for her answer, instead she thought over the few memories she had of the hobbit last night.

He loved the comforts of his home, and from what she heard about hobbits from Gandalf, they liked to eat _a lot_ ; she knew that coming along with these dwarves would be rocky and very dangerous with little and probably no comforts at all – but something about Bilbo Baggins left an impact in her, and she could tell that there was some underlying courage inside of him waiting to make its appearance.

Looking over at Gandalf, with as much confidence as she could muster, she told Gandalf, "H-H-He w-will c-come."

Gandalf beamed at her and nodded his head, ignoring the mutterings from the dwarves, he shouted over at them, "I do believe you heard the lady, I wager Bilbo Baggins shall make it."

Thorin growled slightly, "I don't think the Halfling will come, he's too absorbed with the comforts of his little home and the state of his pantry," he scoffed towards the end.

"Hmm, perhaps," was all Gandalf said, as he blew on his pipe; but everyone understood that Gandalf didn't agree with Thorin's words in the slightest. "We shall see however."

It wasn't until the Company was riding for over two, perhaps three hours when they heard frantic yelling coming from behind them, and they halted their horses, turning around to see who the newcomer was, readying their weapons for a fight.

"Wait! Wait!"

"By my beard," muttered Dwalin in shock.

Fíli, Óin and Bofur cheered, knowing that they had won the bet, while Gandalf had a smug smile on his face, his hand patting Lux-Vita's shoulder softly.

Bilbo Baggins was running as fast as his huge, hairy feet would allow him, and he stopped by Balin's pony, out of breath bending slightly with his hands on his knees, inhaling and exhaling loudly. "I signed it!" he blurted out, handing over the signed contract to Balin.

Taking the contract with one hand, Balin reached over into his pocket, and with the other hand, took out his pocket-glass, inspecting the allotted space where their Burglar was meant to sign.

Once he was done, Balin smiled widely at Bilbo, "Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarves all began cheering, whistling and clapping their hands while Bilbo blushed, his face turning all red as he ducked his head, not comfortable with all the attention fixed solely on him – something Lux-Vita found herself to have in common with the endearing hobbit.

Thorin however, didn't look pleased and his face was fixed with a huge scowl as he regarded the contract in Balin's hand to the soft-looking hobbit. Yelling over at the others, "Give him a pony!" he turned around.

He now had _two_ useless people accompanying him to reclaim Erebor; _two_ people to slow them down and complain about the rough conditions.

Upon hearing Thorin's words, Bilbo lifted his head and began stuttering profusely, "No, no, no, that won't be necessary," he then laughed nervously, "I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I-I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know," his tone held a bit of pride as he spoke his next words, "I even got as far as Frogmorton once –WAGH!"

The dwarves and Gandalf were all rolling their eyes with amused smiles on their faces as the hobbit kept blathering on about not needing a horse, and just as Bilbo was explaining his trek to Frogmorton, Fíli and Kíli rode their horses alongside him, picked him up from behind and placed him atop a pony, effectively cutting him off from his speech.

Bilbo snapped his mouth shut when he found himself sitting on a hazel-colored pony, and his eyes widened slightly in fear. His hands quickly grabbed onto the reins, holding on for dear life and he sat stiffly, his shoulders squared.

Every time Bilbo's pony lifted and tossed its head around, Bilbo would squeak, a terrified look overcoming his tiny features. Bilbo Baggins looked the picture of uncomfortable and Lux-Vita couldn't help but giggle, making her cough slightly and Gandalf to rub her back softly until her coughing fit dissipated.

Suddenly, Óin called out, "Come on Nori, pay up!"

A grumbling Nori tossed over a sack of money to Óin, starting a chain reaction as every dwarf that made a wager on whether or not Bilbo would come began tossing over sacks of money.

A flabbergasted Bilbo rode over to Gandalf and Lux-Vita. "What's that about?"

"Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you'd turn up," Gandalf smiled. "Most of them bet that you wouldn't."

Bilbo looked a touch insulted, and he puffed up his chest indignantly and asked, "What did you think?"

Gandalf and Lux-Vita traded small smiles, and he lifted his hand mid-air, catching a sack of money thrown his way by Nori, putting it in his bag by the horse.

"My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second; neither did Lux-Vita, she in fact informed me to wager on you showing up."

Bilbo looked gratefully at Gandalf and a tad surprised at the human girl who barely shared more than a word with him since her arrival at his smial last night. It was then that Bilbo sneezed loudly.

"All this horse hair, I'm having a reaction," muttered Bilbo to himself as he searched his pockets frantically for his handkerchief. He looked upwards in shock when he was unable to find it, and began yelling hysterically to the other dwarves, "No, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around."

The entire company halted, some of the dwarves began objecting to each other asking what exactly the problem was, while others looked at the hobbit in exasperation.

"What on earth is the matter?" asked a concerned Gandalf. Lux-Vita just knew that Bilbo was about to put his foot in his mouth.

"I forgot my handkerchief," Bilbo stated in desperation, his eyes a bit teary and his face morphed into horror.

Lux-Vita stuffed her fist into her mouth, trying really hard not to burst out laughing, lest she hurt her cords again.

The dwarves all gaped at the hobbit, their eyes widening at the ridiculousness of the situation. Bofur was the only one that managed to keep his calm, tearing the bottom of his filthy tunic; he tossed it over to Bilbo, "Here! Use this."

Bilbo caught the rag, alternating between gawking at in disgust and staring incredulously at Bofur who was smiling cheekily at him. The dwarves began laughing and Lux-Vita couldn't hold it in anymore; she began laughing, it was a mixture of raspy giggles and coughs.

The dwarves looked at her in shock; that was the first time she showed positive emotion since they have met her. Thorin glared at her slightly, but he didn't have the heart to yell at her, and if he were honest with himself, the situation was comical.

"Move out!" Dwalin barked at everyone, and they turned their horses and began with their journey.

Over Lux-Vita's coughing fit, Gandalf looked at Bilbo reprimanding him, "You'll have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead."

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

That night, the thirteen dwarves, one wizard, one girl and one hobbit camped out for the night, and Thorin began barking out orders.

"You, girl! Go with Fíli and Kíli, make yourself useful and help them gather wood for the fire," snapped Thorin, ignoring Gandalf's scolding glare.

Lux-Vita sighed lowly and nodded her head in submission. She was about to ask Gandalf to check on her throat; since her laughing fit due to Bilbo and his missing handkerchief, Lux-Vita's body broke out in spasms more than usual, and she was lucky Gandalf didn't notice, and she was now constantly swallowing blood.

Fíli and Kíli waited by the edge of the trees for Lux-Vita excitedly, they were finally going to have a chance of making a real conversation with the human girl that had captivated their attention from just one small glance at her hollow and empty emerald green eyes.

The three of them walked silently for a while as they kept their eyes peeled for branches, and huge chunks of wood; Lux-Vita felt slightly guilty, if it weren't for her spasms, she could have lit them a fire in under a second with one word and a flick of her wand. But she wouldn't risk it; god forbid if she caused damage, Thorin Oakenshield already scared her with his glacier stare.

Even though Fíli and Kíli kept their eyes searching intently for wood, they couldn't help but alternate their eyes over to her one bare leg that looked to be injured as she hobbled alongside them, and her right arm that she was favoring; ever since they saw her, she had kept her right bare arm clutched to her chest, it almost looked as though she were hiding something.

In fact, her whole attire looked odd, it was many sizes bigger than her thin stature, white, baggy and loose, streaked with dirt and it reached her elbow and slightly above her knees. It was too revealing, though she didn't look to be a harlot.

"Lady Lux-Vita," Kíli ever the curious one, couldn't keep his mouth shut. Upon hearing his voice, Lux-Vita snapped her head towards the brown-haired dwarf, her eyes protruding in fear. "Why are you hobbling? Is your leg injured? We can have Óin check it out for you; he is the healer among us."

Lux-Vita was anxious, what could she say? She didn't know how to explain an acromantula bite; Madam Pomfrey managed to give her a potion to extract the poison, but it wasn't healed yet, it was still numb since the poison resided in her for so long after she was bitten.

She shook her head frantically, keeping her head straight ahead. Unfortunately, due to her sudden fear and since she was nervous, her body began to spasm again, but this time, the tremors were so hard that her mouth opened and she was unable to close it, allowing all the blood that pooled up from her throat to leak out.

" _Lux-Vita!_ " Fíli and Kíli yelled in unison, dropping the wood in their arms and going over to her body that shook violently with tremors on the ground.

"We must take her to Gandalf or Óin!" Kíli yelled frantically, his eyes never leaving her frightened eyes and the blood that now marred her chin and white attire.

Fíli nodded; quickly he grabbed the wood they have dropped while Kíli lifted the human girl into his arms, ignoring her terrified whimpers at the contact, and together, they rushed back into the campsite, feeling fear for the human girl in their hearts.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 7:**

"Gandalf! Óin!"

The eleven dwarfs, Gandalf and Bilbo immediately jumped to their feet when they heard Fíli's frantic yelling, and the dwarves instantly drew their weapons out, fearing the worst. However, there was no need for weapons as Fíli and Kíli arrived into the clearing where they set up camp.

They were all stumped at the scene in front of them until Fíli through the wood he collected for the fire on the ground by their feet, and Gandalf sprang into action with an agility they wouldn't have expected of an old man.

"What happened to her? Fíli, Kíli, tell me?" Gandalf demanded as he took the convulsing and bleeding human girl from Kíli's arms.

The dwarves all congregated around them and gaped at the sight of the human girl; her odd white attire was now smeared red from all the blood that was continuously being choked out from the girl's mouth, her eyes were dilating and bulging in pain and fear, and her lower face was coated in blood. The girl would not stay still either, her whole body wracked with violent convulsions and she was thrashing around.

"Back away you fools, she needs air! Óin, I will need your help, but everyone else will step away," Gandalf bellowed, and at once, the hobbit and the dwarves all stepped back, except for Óin and a stubborn Thorin.

"I am the leader of this company. I will not leave," growled Thorin authoritatively.

"Fine!" sighed Gandalf in aggravation, "But you will not interfere! _Stubbornness of dwarves,_ " he harshly mumbled to himself.

Gandalf began pointing his staff at Lux-Vita and started mumbling so that he could diagnose her, but he was coming up blank, and he knew this to be a magical ailment.

" _ **Mithrandir. Lux-Vita is suffering from convulsive seizures due to a curse, one meant for torture; all you can do is calm her down, she cannot be treated in Middle Earth, only in her world can she be cured. However, her vocal cord is ruptured due to incessant screaming, which is the reason why she stutters her words, why she cannot eat properly and why she is currently bleeding from her mouth. Her leg has been injected with a peculiar poison; it has been treated, but her leg is quite numb from the after effects."**_

" _ **Thank you my Lady Galadriel, I shall fix her to my utmost ability."**_

" _ **Good luck, Mithrandir."**_

"I cannot find the source of the incessant bleeding, Gandalf! If she doesn't stop convulsing, she will end up biting her tongue off," said Óin gruffly.

"Her vocal cord has ruptured; I can fix it with magic to the best of my ability," said Gandalf. He pointed his staff and began mumbling repeatedly in the Elvish tongue. Five minutes later, the bleeding stopped, and Óin began wiping away blood from her face.

"What about the convulsing?" demanded Thorin. He couldn't keep his ice blue eyes from the human girl; he couldn't understand what ailed this simple fearful girl.

Gandalf sighed in irritation and defeat, "Nothing. She can only be treated for it in her world. It is magic beyond my comprehension."

"So what now?" growled Thorin angrily. "I told you that she would slow us down! You expect us to wait for her tremors to subside? Or do you deem it appropriate to journey along with an injured and pathetic human that is prone to sporadic convulsions?!" he sneered.

Gandalf was a jovial wizard that rarely felt rage unless relating to Sauron and the Witch of Angmar, but Thorin was pushing his patience. He understood that Erebor was only on his mind, and that he wouldn't risk regaining his homeland for a stranger, but he could do with some compassion.

The twelve dwarves and one hobbit stared wide-eyed from Gandalf to Thorin with bated breaths. The only movement or noise came from the convulsing human next to Óin.

Gandalf stood up straight and loomed over Thorin, fury the only identified expression on his wizened face. "Thorin Oakenshield! You watch your tongue, lest I deem it useless and cut it for you. Have you no compassion? Has your heart grown cold to all races besides your own since the loss of Erebor to Smaug? What has this human child done to you to receive your ire? This human girl that has done _nothing_ to deserve such crudeness from you and a few members of your company?"

"She is going to slow us down, Tharkûn. Nothing matters to me! _Nothing_ but regaining Erebor for my kin and my people," Thorin shot back, equally angry.

"Then you shall fail as King under the Mountain if you don't learn to show favor and compassion to all other races, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thror. The only blessing I see is that your own nephews do not share that trait!" snapped Gandalf.

"You dare? You now _nothing_! You have not lived or suffered in exile and shame, belittled by the races of men, and _elves_ ," Thorin spat. "You dare judge me, when you deem not judge them and their despicable words and actions."

"Do you know what Lux-Vita has gone through? Are you not the least bit curious as to _why_ she is suffering? Why she behaves in fear, distancing herself from you all? Do not speak of what you know not. Lux-Vita is not of this world, she does not deserve such misplaced ire," Gandalf scowled.

"Gandalf … what is wrong with her?" asked Fíli hesitantly.

"I asked her if she needed Óin to treat her leg because she was limping. I didn't know this would happen to her," said Kíli guiltily.

Gandalf smiled at them. Yes, Fíli and Kíli, sons of Dís would make excellent Kings in the future.

Gandalf didn't answer for a while as he sat down beside Lux-Vita and held her in a comforting yet tight grip in his arms; it was the only way to stop her current tremors until she made it back to her world and got herself treated.

Finally he looked up at all the quiet dwarves and Bilbo and said, "She is limping because she was injected with poison, unknown to our world. She has been treated for it and the poison has been eliminated, yet she suffers numbness as an after-effect until her leg is fully healed. She was bleeding because her vocal cord has ruptured due to incessant screaming … I do not know why," Thorin caught Gandalf's lie, but knew that the damn wizard wouldn't reveal the true answer unless he wanted to.

"And the convulsions?" asked Óin.

"That … that I cannot say. It is not my story to tell," said Gandalf, ending their line of questioning just as Lux-Vita stopped shivering, and she fell into a deep, healing sleep.

"What is that?" Bofur pointed at her right arm. Gandalf frowned, she had been favoring her right arm ever since landing in Middle Earth, yet he did not know why.

Slowly, Gandalf straightened out her arm, and everyone gasped at the huge, deep gash that took over half her inner arm.

"Did she – did she cut herself?" asked Kíli with wide eyes.

Gandalf shook his head, "It is none of our business. All of you leave the girl alone."

The dwarves grumbled at Gandalf's dismissal and they all began bustling with activity. Glóin and Nori started the fire, Bombur cooked dinner and the rest of the dwarves practiced with their weapons, while Thorin sat by the side with Balin and Dwalin, his eyes boring into the sleeping human in Gandalf's arms, pondering the wizard's words.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

A day had gone by since Gandalf had healed Lux-Vita, and her throat felt much better than before; she could now swallow food properly without pain, and she no longer stuttered whenever she spoke. But still, Lux-Vita preferred her solitude and didn't speak with anyone but Gandalf.

They were approaching Bree, and it was nearing nightfall when the Company paused at the sight of a wrecked and broken down wagon in the middle of the road.

"We must clear it to the side of the road, otherwise the ponies could injure themselves," said Gandalf solemnly.

"What do you think happened, Gandalf?" asked Balin.

"It doesn't matter. We must move quickly, otherwise whatever danger lurks here could attack," said Thorin in urgent tones.

The dwarves descended from their ponies and got to work quickly, moving all wooden splinters and screws to the other side of the road, so that they could travel onwards with their ponies safely and without injury.

Lux-Vita however, felt an ominous air around them and she shivered slightly into herself. There was a calling to her right; a strong calling and Lux-Vita's instincts told her to follow it. Slowly, without Gandalf or any of the dwarves noticing, she slunk away and followed the curious beckoning – she felt almost like she was purposely being summoned.

Lux-Vita abruptly froze, her eyes widening at the scene in front of her.

Blank, dead eyes gazed directly back at her. Lux-Vita dropped down onto the ground and kneeled by the dead woman; her iris' had turned an abnormal grey, and were gazing at her in fear; her hair was a shocking white and her skin was ashen. She looked to have been scared to death; her features and the colors of her eyes and hair changing color due to fright.

All Lux-Vita could see where the dead golden eyes of Cedric staring back at her in his instant death, his gaping mouth and fearful face frozen and burning into her memory and her body wracked in sobs as she cried over the dead woman's body.

Gandalf heard familiar sobs and began looking around frantically for Lux-Vita. He began following the directions her sobs were coming from off the beaten path.

"Mr. Gandalf, where are you going?" Dori hollered from the other side where all the dwarves were congregated and had just finished clearing off the path.

Gandalf ignored Dori and trekked onwards. The dwarves looked confusedly at each other.

"Shall we follow him?" asked Ori quietly.

"I say we should, wouldn't want to stray too far from our wizard," Bofur shrugged.

"He's looking for Lux-Vita. Can't you hear her crying?" Bilbo looked exasperatedly at the thirteen dwarves.

Gandalf halted when he finally laid eyes on the child crying over the dead body of a female just when all the dwarves and hobbit finally joined him.

"Cedric! No, Cedric, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault," Lux-Vita sobbed over the body. "It's my fault, my fault, my fault. Forgive me."

"Who's Cedric?" Kíli whispered to Fíli, but everyone heard him and Gandalf gave him a scolding look.

Kneeling down next to the girl, Gandalf placed his arms around her soothingly, and he felt that her convulsions were beginning again, "Lux-Vita, Lux-Vita my child. This is not Cedric. This lady is named Dorina."

"You know this woman?" asked Balin in pity. In fact, all the dwarves stared at the dead female with wide eyes, and sympathetic faces … she looked to have suffered until death took her.

"Yes," sighed Gandalf soberly. "She works in Bree and does trade in the Shire every two weeks. It is a good thing Lux-Vita stumbled upon her. Her death seems to be one of dark sorcery and the white council must be informed of it."

"Let us leave this accursed place," said Thorin gravely, for once he had no crude words to share. The death of a lady, even from the race of men, wasn't to be wished upon from the dwarves.

Gandalf helped a still crying Lux-Vita onto her feet, "Yes, this place is dangerous. We must make haste and go afar."

They rode their ponies until they finally reached the gates of Bree, and made their way over to the Prancing Pony to reserve lodgings for the night.

"Hello Butterbur. We would like four separate rooms if you please," Gandalf smiled kindly at the owner of the place.

Butterbur looked warily at the group of dwarves and said, "We don't want any trouble Gandalf."

"Of course, of course," Gandalf bobbed his head.

The rooms were divided; Gandalf, Bilbo and Lux-Vita shared a room. The Ri brothers and Ur cousins shared the second room. The third room went to Óin, Glóin, Balin and Dwalin, while the fourth and last room was shared by Thorin, Fíli and Kíli.

"Uncle Thorin?" asked Kíli timidly; Thorin, Fíli and Kíli were currently in their room washing up before they went down for dinner, and Kíli had been itching to ask his uncle about the girl ever since Bag End.

"What is it Kíli?" Thorin looked up at his nephew, raising an eyebrow when he saw him nervously fumbling with a loose thread in his tunic.

"Why are you so rude to Lux-Vita … I mean, what did she ever do to you?"

Fíli glanced up curiously at his uncle, having wanted to know the answer to that as well.

Thorin sighed; his nephews were too innocent at times and trusted easily. It could be a good thing, but most times, especially since they were dwarves and many are prejudiced towards them, it could be a bad thing. It was easy for Thorin to forget that his nephews haven't seen the rest of Middle Earth while they had a safe childhood in Ered Luin.

"I don't know the girl to hate her, Kíli. I don't trust her. She has come from nowhere, claiming she hails from another world … a world of magic. Gandalf insists she journeys with us when she is frail and weak," Thorin stood up, "It is my duty to get us all to Erebor safely, and I cannot have some weak and frightened human girl slow us down."

"Gandalf believes she is important and must come with us. Don't you trust him?" asked Fíli.

"Gandalf … Gandalf means well. But he is a wizard, and they speak in riddles. I do not know his purpose for bringing the human along us, but I'm not comfortable with it," Thorin looked curiously between his nephews, "What I want to know is why you are so friendly with her? Why do you trust her? She could be a spy."

Fíli and Kíli shared nervous looks. Fíli sighed, he would tell his uncle the truth. "We feel a connection to her. We don't know what or why, but ever since our eyes locked onto hers, we just, we felt…" Fíli struggled to come up with the right word.

"Safe. A sense of kinship," Kíli spoke up.

"She is not your One, is she?" Thorin stared at his nephews in horror, fearing their answer.

Fíli and Kíli rapidly shook their heads.

"No, no, no. We have no romantic feelings at all toward her," answered Fíli fervently.

"Good," Thorin sighed in relief. "She is of the Race of Men. It would be preferable if your One is a dwarrowdam."

The thirteen dwarves, Gandalf, Lux-Vita and Bilbo sat down for a merry dinner ignoring the curious and distasteful looks they were attracting from everyone else. The dwarves were enjoying their ale and meat and spoke loudly, the table erupting into laughter.

Lux-Vita inwardly smiled, the dwarves eating habits reminded her of Ron.

"Tell me child, how are you feeling after the upsetting events of this day?" Gandalf inquired from his seat beside her.

Lux-Vita understood the purpose of Gandalf's question; he was asking her to confide in him.

"It was the eyes," Lux-Vita's voice came out in barely more than a whisper. Gandalf frowned, but didn't interrupt. "Cedric's eyes were wide, blank and dead; when he, when he died, there was no life in the eyes that always sparkled with emotion and love when looking at me. The girl, Dorina?" Gandalf nodded. "When I looked into her eyes, I got a flashback of C-Cedric and I felt like I was back where it, where it happened."

"I cannot promise that you will ever get over his death, my child, but I promise it will get better in time, the pain will have lessened," said Gandalf softly.

"It hurts, Gandalf. I miss him every second of the day … I-I feel so alone, and empty. My heart and soul calls out for him," said Lux-Vita tearfully.

Gandalf nodded, his grey eyes stared deeply into her emerald ones and said, "The ones that love us never really leave us. You can always find them," Gandalf placed a hand gently over her heart, "in here."

Lux-Vita sniffled, a wistful expression on her face, "My godfather told me that once."

"Hmm, did he now? Well he is a wise man then, don't you think," Gandalf winked at her, and Lux-Vita couldn't help but let out a slight giggle.

"Girl!" Thorin barked down at her, making her jump slightly. "Tomorrow morning before we leave, make sure you get actual garments."

"Don't worry Thorin," Gandalf glared at him, he had finally succeeded in bringing about a small smile on the girl's face. "Leave Lux-Vita's vital needs to me. As I have informed you many times before, she is under my responsibility."

"Lady Lux-Vita, who is Cedric?" Kíli leaned forward curiously.

Lux-Vita stared blankly at him, and Gandalf sighed in frustration, "Master Kíli, you must learn to curb your curiosity, lest you come out as offending."

"I see no problem with the question. Answer him girl," barked Thorin from the head of the table.

"Thorin!" Gandalf boomed, his eyes narrowed fiercely, "Watch the way you speak! You deserve no right to demand her of anything."

"Gandalf, it's alright," Lux-Vita placed a hand on the apoplectic wizard's arm, making him sit down next to her in a huff. Lux-Vita ignored Thorin, enraging him so; looking directly at Kíli, she said in a whisper, "He's my fiancé."

The dwarves looked taken aback; their eyes instantly drifted down to the ring on her finger and understood that it was an engagement ring after all.

"How old are you lassie?" asked Balin curiously.

"Fourteen," was all Lux-Vita simply said, however her words brought an uproar with all the dwarves, and even timid Bilbo Baggins gaped at her in shock.

"Gandalf, you have brought a child to travel amongst us!" Thorin growled.

"You're younger than my wee lad Gimli," Glóin gasped looking scandalized.

All the dwarves began muttering with themselves, and their eyes would continuously drift over to Lux-Vita and then Gandalf before shaking their head in disapproval.

Lux-Vita felt uncomfortable and went to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" grumbled Dwalin, his eyes glued onto her, making sure she wouldn't escape.

"My room," whispered Lux-Vita staring down at the ground.

"Sit down! I don't trust you to go off on your own," growled Thorin.

Lux-Vita snapped her eyes over to Thorin; she was sick and tired of his blatantly rude attitude towards her. She may have changed after what Voldemort did to her and Cedric's death, but one thing that didn't change, was the Evans temper she had apparently inherited from her mother.

"Excuse me! But I'd rather sit by myself than sit around you lot!" she growled, making the whole table go silent, gaping at her in shock – they had never heard her raise her voice or show anger once since they have met her. "Why should I sit with a bunch of rude dwarves who wouldn't shut the bloody hell up about me and can't stop glaring at me the whole time? Well thanks, but _no thanks_!"

And with that she sent one last glare to a speechless Thorin Oakenshield, and stormed up to the room she shared with Gandalf and Bilbo.

Gandalf chuckled loudly, the girl had fire … her soul was still fading, but at least this gave him hope for her survival. Standing up, Gandalf smiled genuinely at Thorin and cheerfully said, "Well then, I believe you deserved that, it was after all, inevitable. Goodnight."

Bilbo cleared his throat uncomfortably and fidgeted slightly, "I'm just going to, uh, um … goodnight," and the little hobbit's feet pitter-pattered up the rickety stairway and into his room.

The dwarves were all silent, staring at one another with shock and some even in awe.

"I'm afraid to say it Thorin, but we all deserved it," Balin sighed sadly.

"Who knew the lass was a spitfire," Bofur chuckled heartily.

"I didn't know she had it in her, she was always so scared and timid," Dori looked scandalized, "And she cursed! It is not befitting of a Lady, especially a _child_!"

"Oh, do shut up Dori," snapped Nori, rolling his eyes.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

The next morning, Gandalf woke Lux-Vita from her sleep early so they could purchase a few necessary garments since her gown was too revealing and tainted with her blood.

When they returned to have breakfast, the wizard and the witch walked in to see all thirteen dwarves and Bilbo just arrive. The dwarves avoided eye contact with Lux-Vita, ashamed of their actions last night, except for Thorin who adamantly glared at her.

Once they sat down for breakfast, they noticed that while the human girl still seemed withdrawn, pale and weak, she seemed more assertive.

"Lass, we want to apologize for our actions toward you last night. We were merely shocked at your age, you see children are very rare for us dwarves so we protect them fiercely," said Balin solemnly, his kind eyes gazing at haunted emerald green ones.

Lux-Vita nodded, a shy smile on her face, "I understand. Culture differences."

How Lux-Vita wished her world treated children like the dwarves did, then maybe she wouldn't have been in a war at fifteen months old, and nearly die every year since she turned eleven. Unfortunately, Lux-Vita's life wasn't an easy one, and though she felt safe with Gandalf and away from Voldemort, she knew that she had to get back to her world.

She missed her friends, Dumbledore and Sirius a lot, and she needed them more than ever. She didn't like showing weakness in front of strangers and all she wanted was to be cuddled and reassured by her godfather.

She decided that tonight she would ask Gandalf to send her home; she needed to pluck her courage back and be the Gryffindor she was born to be. She needed to destroy Voldemort and avenge Cedric's death.

 **A/N:** **So, Lux-Vita isn't like her old self yet, it would take time, but her anger is one thing that would never leave her … it's in her genes, Evans Temper and all.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **WARNING: The end of this chapter has contents of self-harm, suicide and the killing of a child, so if you are disturbed, then skip the ending.**

 **Sorry for keeping you waiting, I have a** _ **surprise**_ **at the end that will make up for not posting in a while.**

 **Chapter 8:**

Ever since the Company had departed from Bree, they have been riding their ponies nonstop. Thorin denied them stopping for lunch or rest, claiming that they wasted enough time in Bree.

For the rest of the journey, Lux-Vita's thoughts revolved around Earth, Hogwarts, and whether the pompous Minister was still firmly living in the land of denial. More than once, Gandalf would check on the quiet human girl, asking if anything ailed her, and she would respond with a negative. Lux-Vita was adamant that when they halted for rest at nightfall, she would inquire the means of traveling back to Earth.

The ponies tired magnificently, and stomachs rumbled in an echoing unison from the Company of Dwarves, and the lone hobbit; Thorin deemed they were fit to halt in the journey ahead, and the dwarves began settling down for camp and dinner near the edge of a cliff.

Once they were well-fed and watered, most of the dwarves readied their bedrolls, desperate for some well-earned shut eye. Fíli and Kíli stood by the ponies keeping watch, Thorin sat afar on a boulder, presumably lost in his addictive thoughts of Erebor and claiming back his mountain from the dragon Smaug, and Gandalf was smoking on his pipe by his lonesome, not too far from Thorin.

Lux-Vita huddled into herself, watching the comical view of the sleeping dwarves, their snores reverberating around the campsite, sounding much like an avalanche, and the human girl scoffed inwardly; their snoring alone would be enough to call danger upon them, waking up anything dangerous and leading them to their campsite where they were safely ensconced.

The witch noticed little Bilbo Baggins unable to drift asleep from the ruckus, his little eyes narrowed in revulsion at the slumbering Glóin; whenever the redheaded dwarf inhaled a deep breath, a bunch of flying insects would drown into his mouth, much like a tornado, however, once the feisty dwarf exhaled sharply, they would instantly be expelled, but before they managed to flee, they would get sucked right back in. How utterly revolting; Lux-Vita found herself sharing the hobbit's sentiment.

Noticing that Thorin had finally surrendered to a deep slumber, Lux-Vita shakily approached the lone wizard, continuing to smoke his pipe. He shot her a fond, welcoming smile once she sat cross-legged beside him, and waited patiently for her to finally confide in him what had been ailing her all day; and he discovered that he didn't have to wait very long.

"Gandalf, when can I return home-, back to my world?" Lux-Vita asked in whispering tones, not wanting to awaken the Company of grumpy dwarves, who despised more than anything a disrupted nap.

A secretive smile splayed across the wizened wizard's face, "Why dear, Lux-Vita, do you tire from my Company so soon?" And although Lux-Vita knew the wizard was merely jesting, she threw him a grave look, and he inhaled a deep breath, before expelling the smoke from his mouth, "My dear child, you may return whenever you _wish_ to return."

"I see that all wise and wizened wizards have the ability to speak in annoying riddles. And here I thought they only existed in Earth," Lux-Vita grumbled in annoyance.

Gandalf broke out in quiet chuckles, regarding the ruby haired girl with fond amusement, curiosity and interest, "Why my dear, I have no idea of what or whom you speak of."

"Hmm, I'm sure," she retorted dryly. "Gandalf, I don't belong here. I belong in Earth; there are lose ends I must deal with, I am _needed_ there."

"You are also needed here, Lux-Vita," Gandalf said mysteriously, immensely pleased that the human girl was showing more of a backbone ever since Thorin harangued her at the Prancing Pony.

The Grey Wizard's statement only succeeded in bringing out a cynical snort from the human girl, "The dwarves despise my Company, Gandalf. My very presence ails them. Do not bother covering the truth with sweet, saccharine words. I may currently be a walking-talking weakling, stuck in horrid memories, but I am not daft, nor am I blind to my surroundings."

"Fíli and Kíli enjoy your company; they shall miss you when you leave," Gandalf stated matter-of-factly; ignoring the fact that the two brothers she barely spoke a few words with would miss her, the witch concentrated on the slipup Gandalf generated, either purposely, or accidentally, it mattered not.

" _When I leave_. Meaning there is a way, a possibility of departure. Tell me Gandalf, I beg of you. How can I leave Middle Earth? Tell me the process," Lux-Vita begged him, unique emerald orbs beseeching grey ones for the honest answer to the consuming yet perplexing riddle that had ailed her for so long.

Gandalf huffed and looked away; he continued to suck on his pipe and only after a few moments of tranquil silence, did he finally speak in a calm tone, "My dear Lux-Vita, I cannot give you the answer you seek, only _you_ can find the answer to that, _deep_ in your conscience."

Emerald orbs scrutinized the Grey Wizard before finally stating in a knowing voice, "You know. Yet you either _cannot_ or _will not_ tell me."

When would the human girl fail to surprise the wizened wizard?

Gandalf whipped around, facing the witch with the expression of complete astonishment and amazement, "What makes you say that? How are you so sure, dear child?"

There was a fond smile curved on her chapped lips, and Lux-Vita's eyes twinkled slightly as she regarded the stunned wizard, a welcome to its usual haunted and deadened gaze, "Back home, my mentor – the one I spoke of, Dumbledore – he was the exact same. He had this look on his face, much like yours; it spoke volumes. I derived it as, 'you must solve it yourself before I tell you.' My mentor is all-knowing, yet he enjoyed his puzzles and fondly spoke in riddles. Quite annoying, really."

Gandalf smiled in response, however, before any more words could be traded between the two magicals, a horrible screeching, piercing noise echoed around them from afar.

"What was that?" Bilbo breathed out in utmost fear, his tiny face morphed into consternation.

Kíli had a solemn expression take over his usual cheerful visage. " _Orcs_ ," he merely stated ominously. That one word had the effect of rousing Thorin so suddenly from his peaceful slumber, and even a few other dwarves shot up from their immobile positions.

"Orcs?" Bilbo parroted in question, worry lining his forehead.

"Throat-cutters," Fíli chimed in, equally grave, "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them." Bilbo forcefully disconnected eye contact with the Durin brothers, and so, he missed the amused looks, eyes twinkling with mischief that Fíli and Kíli shared. Lux-Vita rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disapproval; there was no need to frighten poor Bilbo any further, who was obviously new to the dangers that lay outside, lurking in the murky world.

"You think that's _funny_?" Thorin's ferocious voice boomed from nearby. He had finally shot up to his feet, his handsomely noble face twisted into disgust, fury and disappointment; Lux-Vita could easily tell that orcs to Thorin resembled Voldemort to her. "You think a night raid by orcs is a _joke_?" he continued, anger lacing every work, and he spat out 'joke' as though it were the most revolting idea ever.

The King under the Mountain's words deeply affected his nephews. Simultaneously, they dipped their heads low, eyes never leaving the ground, and Kíli muttered in a desolate, kicked-puppy tone, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't," Thorin spat, turning around swiftly, he concluded, "You know _nothing_ of the world."

His words were harsh; Lux-Vita quashed the Gryffindor side of her, the part that had the need to protect and defend, to speak out, and smartly stayed by Gandalf's side, her mouth zipped shut. She had no idea of Thorin's past with orcs, and she had no right to butt in, nor did she want to be in the way of the uncrowned King's visible ire. Emerald orbs followed Thorin's figure as he walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked out over the valley, deep in thought.

Her attention snapped over to the now awakened dwarves as Balin approached Fíli and Kíli. The old, compassionate dwarf spoke in gentle tones, trying to cheer them up and make them comprehend in unison, "Don't mind him laddie. Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. …After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first."

Balin looked deep in thought, reliving a haunted memory engrained into his subconscious. "Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race, Azog the Defiler." The word defiler had the effect of raising goose bumps on the human girl's arms and legs, even the hair on the back of her neck stood out; Lux-Vita suppressed the memory of Voldemort brutally defiling her, shaking herself harshly from the gruesome memory that haunted her, she focused her attention on Balin's soothing voice.

"The giant Gundobad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by _beheading_ the King. Thrain, Thorin's father was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know," Balin sighed sadly, warm brown eyes beginning to water with the lugubrious memory, "We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us," a fond smile suddenly splayed on his weathered lips and his eyes locked on Thorin's back, "That is when I saw him; a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent, wielding nothing but an _oaken branch_ as a shield."

A grim smile announced itself onto the storyteller's features, and pride filled his tone, "Azog the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, nor song, that night, for our dead was beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is _one_ I could call _King_."

Every single dwarf in the campsite stared at their uncrowned King with compelling reverence, their eyes filled with pride, awe and respect, heads bowed in freely-given allegiance as Thorin turned away from the view beyond the cliff and walked toward the fire.

"But the Pale Orc," Bilbo suddenly piped up, curiosity lacing his words, "What happened to him?"

Thorin grunted, each word oozing with deepest malice, "He slunk back into the hole from whence he came. That _filth_ died of his wounds long ago."

But Lux-Vita didn't fail to notice Gandalf and Balin trade unsure, fearful glances and she knew that this _Azog_ might not be gone as Thorin hoped; wishful thinking. Wordlessly, Lux-Vita excused herself from the Company, and ambled away from prying eyes, needing to be alone with her morbid thoughts. She found a lone bolder by the outline of the forest and stared into the deep end of the valley, consumed by her loud reflections.

Azog the Defiler sounded similar to Lord Voldemort; both struck fear in the hearts of the valor, both defiled and destroyed anything good and everything pure in their path, the brave, the living, the peaceful existence.

The Gryffindor in the savior's heart roared its brave mane; Dumbledore once told her that there is _always a reason for everything_. Although Lux-Vita had been swimming in a pool of despair for the past few weeks in this curious medieval world, she had not forgotten her location, neither that she was far from home and her precious few remaining loved ones.

Was Lux-Vita brought to Middle Earth for a reason?... Was it to aid the dwarves in reclaiming their Kingdom, Erebor? But Lux-Vita had her own responsibility in Earth, a destiny and heavy burden on her shoulders; Voldemort was out for her blood, and she knew he wouldn't stop until her heart stopped beating, until the blood stopped pumping through her veins.

And a memory, deeply dug into her subconscious, reverberated in her head; **'Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried stopping him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?'** __The memory from her first year at Hogwarts, back when she still retained childish innocence, not tainted by the evil of the world, before learning the cruel lesson of life. **'Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day … put it from your mind for now, Lux-Vita. When you are older … I know you hate to hear this … when you are** _ **ready**_ **, you will know.'**

Lux-Vita respected the Headmaster and his decision, and so, she chose not to argue, no matter how the curious side of her reared its ugly head … She knew the time was nearing, now that Voldemort had returned, back to terrorizing the magical and muggle world and disrupting the thirteen years of peace the magical community had reverently built. Deep within her soul, the fourteen year old savior knew that the end of Voldemort's tyrannical tirade, his megalomaniac and prejudiced rule, had to be ended by none other than her. She somehow _knew_ that it would come to wand point between them in the battlefield.

No matter how much Lux-Vita wanted to lend aid to Thorin and his Company, she couldn't. She had a war to return to, a megalomaniac's crusade to end. She needed to return home and ignore the hero complex within her; the part of her Cedric fell in love with. …

Lux-Vita was lost deep in her ponderings, she failed to hear the leaves rustling and twigs cracking beneath heavy footsteps, and she jumped a few feet into the air when Thorin's husky baritone sounded out from behind her.

"What are you doing by your lonesome away from the protection of the Company _girl_? Do you have a death wish?"

Thorin was perplexed by the human; when Balin concluded his history; he noted compassion, sadness, comprehension and the shared burden in her haunted emerald eyes. Almost like a sense of comradeship; Thorin quashed the emotions, scorning her in his mind; she was a slip of a girl, a human child not even past adulthood; what would the _human_ know of danger, war and hardships … _nothing!_

"Just needed to be alone with consuming thoughts; I'm sure you understand," she added bitterly, surprising the uncrowned King. Ever since Bree, the human girl had strengthened her spine, and a small part of him hated that, preferring the fearful girl that cowered in his presence.

Thorin merely grunted, "Next time, think near the fire. We do not need to rescue a damsel in my quest; you shall do nothing but proceed in slowing us down and being a burden … more than you already are."

Lux-Vita whipped around to face him; anger, rage, fury, annoyance and the last emotion that puzzled the King further; understanding. She dipped her head in acknowledgement and without another word, ambled over to the fire and laid her head near Gandalf's roused form, surrendering herself to Morpheus' arms.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Two weeks had gone by. The supposedly perilous journey dealt with no interruptions, or adversities. It was almost routine; inhale a quick breakfast, journey onwards on their respective ponies, and in Gandalf and Lux-Vita's case, horse, a pit stop for a rapid lunch, and then marching onwards until nightfall where they camped out by the fire, had dinner, trained with their weapons and began taking hourly watches in case there were any passing bandits, orcs or wargs.

Much to the Company's surprise, Thorin had been ignoring the human girl ever since Balin regaled the past of the battle of Moria. No one knew why, but they didn't dare to prod for a reason, no matter how curious they were, especially young Kíli, who Lux-Vita discovered, was the youngest in the Company at the age of 77 – except for her, _obviously_.

For the past four days, there had been a nonstop downpour, nearing a monsoon, and the Company of dwarves, the lone hobbit, witch and wizard were in a horrible mood. They were constantly wet, grumpy and cold; their garments clung to them almost as though it were a second skin, and even Thorin's outrageous fur coat was no help in preventing any shivers.

However, while the Company grumbled and complained about their food being soggy, their clothes drenched, their horrible eyesight with all the rain and their inability in starting a fire – an action that filled Lux-Vita with guilt, knowing she would be able to lend them easy aid with her faithful wand, but feared that with her tremors she may cause a disastrous accident – Lux-Vita began pondering the oddities of this world.

It has been a week since Lux-Vita discovered that the very air they breathed, the mass surrounding was filled with ambient magic. The air was thickened with potent and pure magic, crackling with the magical blood running through her veins that she could no longer ignore the peculiar oddity and finally inquired Gandalf.

There had been a few moments in Earth where the savior had experienced such magic; when she first experienced entering the Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid; entering Ollivanders; the campsite in the Quidditch World Cup; arriving at the Hogwarts Express and Hogwarts castle for the very first time.

Gandalf explained to her that Arda was a magical world, and unlike Earth where magic is deftly hidden, Middle Earth accepted it with open arms. The trees blossomed with magic, plants grew with its aid; the Elves practiced their own brand of magic, and so on and so forth.

Lux-Vita was a powerful witch with potent magic running through her veins, magic was similarly described as an important limb to her, and that was the reason why she developed a kinship with the ability to _feel_ the ambient magic in the air. Due to that kinship, Lux-Vita had been feeling an odd branch of magic following her; almost as though it were accompanying her with every step she took in the journey. Almost … _stalking_.

It was tainted magic, not dark and not light … but not pure, not even grey. It disturbed her and weighed heavily on her visage, and was beginning to show on her exterior. Many times Gandalf and the few kind dwarves that accepted her presence amongst them such as Bofur, Bifur, Bombur Fíli, Kíli, Dori, Ori and Balin had continuously inquired after her health, claiming she looked peaky, gaunt and pale.

Dori's loud whining suddenly shook her from her reverie.

" _Mr. Gandalf_ , can't you _do something_ about this deluge?"

She managed to suppress a giggle when she felt Gandalf huff in annoyance from behind her. Turning to face the kind-natured, mother hen of a dwarf, Gandalf groused out, "It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain _is done_. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

Almost simultaneously, all the dwarves except for Thorin, and Bilbo whipped around to face a bewildered Lux-Vita, the question obvious in their eyes and almost at the tip of their tongue.

"What about you lass?" Glóin grunted; he would speak with the whimpering child if only to halt the irritating and maddening deluge.

"Uh, I'm not sure I'd want to risk it. My magic is wonky at the moment," Lux-Vita answered insecurely, burrowing herself deeper into Gandalf's chest, uncomfortable with all the attention fixated solely on her person. Thorin scoffed scornfully at her words, while Nori muttered something along the lines of useless wizards.

Containing her bristling and desire to lash out at them, Lux-Vita clenched Gandalf's coat and forcefully kept her mouth shut as Bilbo readied a question he had been most curious of.

"Are there any other wizards?"

"There are five of us," Gandalf uttered, throwing a genuine smile at the young hobbit. Lux-Vita started at that fact, her eyes widening in disbelief. "The greatest of our order is Saruman the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know," a contemplative frown puckered on the wizened wizard's forehead, "I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo prodded curiously.

"Well, that would be Radagast, the _Brown_ ," Gandalf fondly informed him, and it was obvious to all that the Grey Wizard favored the Brown.

"Is he a great Wizard or is he … _more like you_?" the question may have been of innocent subtext, but that didn't prevent the offence towards Gandalf, who glared at Bilbo looking deeply insulted and a tad bit irritated, especially when Lux-Vita snickered into her palm, her eyes shining with a flicker of mirth.

Ignoring the offensive situation, Gandalf dutifully responded, "I think he's a very _great_ wizard, in his _own way_. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

 _And her world too_ , Lux-Vita thought to herself. Radagast reminded her immensely of gentle Hagrid, and a fond subtle smile splayed on her lips, her eyes beginning to water in remembrance of the half-giant who had been her first friend ever.

Gandalf nudged her slightly; she had been once again lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard kind Ori's question. Giving him an apologetic look, Ori merely waved it off and repeated his previous question, "How many Wizards exist in your world?"

The dwarves all perked up, unable to hide their damn curiosity. Lux-Vita pondered the simplest way to respond, "Well, one thing you must take into consideration is that in my world, we have Wizards _and Witches_. I am known as a Witch _not_ a Wizard. As for how many … there are too much to count; over thousands, probably a million or two."

"Impossible," Dwalin grunted in disbelief, forgetting his silent promise in not interacting with the human girl. Every dwarf gaped at her in awe, and even the composed Thorin who had been doing so splendidly in ignoring her, couldn't help but whip around to stare at her with his jaw agape.

"Quite possible actually. You say impossible, yet when Gandalf just informed us there were only _five_ in Middle Earth, I found it to be unbelievable as well," Lux-Vita answered shortly, avoiding any and all eye contact.

"You must live in a powerful land, then Lady Lux-Vita," Bilbo piped up.

Lux-Vita merely smiled, but offered no audible response; _If only they knew … if only they knew…_

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

At night when silence was thick in the air nobody noticed that there was a companion missing from their number around the fire.

You see, the _unknown_ savior of _both_ Realms had finally ascertained the reason for the vile and tainted magic haunting her.

She was pregnant;

 _With the Dark Lord's child_.

Lux-Vita knew that, because after she had handed over her virtue to Cedric, they rushed over to Madam Pomfrey for a check-up the very next day since they had idiotically blanked about using protection, and she was clean before the Third Task. She had been in Middle Earth for a month now, and although she had been impregnated in Earth, the fetus was growing rapidly with time spent in Arda.

Regarding the Nature vs. Nurture debate; one would argue that Tom Riddle was born in an orphanage where he was mocked, bullied, ignored and treated as a pariah; he came out on the other side as Lord Voldemort, one of the Darkest and vilest Lords to exist in history. Another would provide Lux-Vita as a contradiction; she spent fifteen months with her parents before death took them away from her, and then lived ten cruel years with her dastardly heartless and hateful relatives; she had been locked in a cupboard, starved of nutrition, love, affection and attention; the young girl had no friends, bullied constantly by her own kin, beaten by her uncle and called a waste of space and a freak; yet the orphaned girl grew up to be the most compassionate, kind, gentle, brave and pure-hearted girl in existence, meant to be the savior of the light and abolish the Dark Lord from their midst.

Herein, the debate of Nature vs. Nurture hit an impasse. Lux-Vita firmly believed in Nurture. She honestly believed that no one is born evil; evil is made, _not_ born. Yet, she couldn't carry Voldemort's baby into full-term. The baby belonging to the evil bastard that killed her fiancé, ripped away her life ever since she was a year old, ruined her future, constantly tried to kill her and her family; _defiled her_!

No! Lux-Vita would do the utmost sin if it meant removing the burden from her womb; she would not raise a child only to see Lord Voldemort every time she looked upon his or her face. Lux-Vita would never purposely have a child suffer under hatred and starve them from human emotions … and she knew that no matter how pure she was, she wouldn't be able to look at her child, her own flesh and blood.

Consequently; in the middle of the tranquil night, the savior silently slunk out of the campsite with one of Fíli's countless knives; praying to Cedric, her parents, Sirius and God for forgiveness and the strength to survive.

Unknown to the savior, her actions brought many motions into action.

 _ **Mithrandir! Mithrandir! Awaken yourself this instance,**_ Gandalf shot up to his feet, his already opened eyes clearing from its previous slumber. _**What is it my Lady Galadriel?**_ He asked in urgent tones.

 _ **Lux-Vita's soul is fading, she has no time. I am on my way towards you, hasten your footsteps quickly!**_

"Tharkûn? Where are you going?" Thorin barked, upon noting the Wandering Wizard running toward the opposite direction, deep into the forest, his face the perfect picture of fear and franticness that struck dread in the uncrowned King's heart.

But either Gandalf didn't hear him or he merely ignored him, Thorin didn't know. He hastily awakened the company, and the thirteen dwarves and lone hobbit ran after the frantic wizard. They have never witnessed the all-knowing wizard lose composure, fear evident on his posture, and they knew something terrible must have happened.

Minutes later, simultaneous horrible gasps echoed the forest; Lux-Vita was lying in a puddle of blood, her hand splayed lifelessly surrounding her body, blood marring her pale skin, and her haunted emerald eyes filled with pearly tears that contrasted greatly with the crimson blood. Her eyes were staring into nothing in particular and a throwing knife was speared deep in her womb.

"My dear child, _why_?" Gandalf sobbed his arms snaking around her lifeless body, trying to keep her heart steady until Lady Galadriel arrived. Lux-Vita smiled … she actually smiled … it was creepy, yet peaceful and the dwarves knew that she was departing life.

"I'm sorry, Gan-Gandalf," she choked out. All that was present winced, able to decipher the agonizing pain it took for her to form her words, "I cannot … _evil_ –"

"Evil? What do you refer to, child?" Gandalf asked aimlessly, silently beckoning the dwarves to aid him in adding pressure to her wound. Lux-Vita smiled and coughed harshly, blood spitting out from her mouth, "Evil grows inside of me, I cannot … don't make me …"

"You're with child," Thorin boomed, his face morphed into horror, finally understanding what she had been trying to do. "You wish to kill your child." It was a statement, and Lux-Vita could hear the disgust and judgment rolling off him in waves.

Emerald eyes pursued icy blue, and a weak smile of comprehension curved upon her lips, "You think I'm a monster. You're probably correct in your assumption. I am- I am a monster, people die around me, always-" she wept, tears rapidly flowing and Thorin felt a sliver of guilt before bashing it away. _No_ , this human does not deserve understanding or compassion; like all Race of Men, she is a monster, a murderer as a child. But Lux-Vita carried on, interrupting his thoughts, "Gandalf once told me that children are rare for the Race of Dwarves, and that you treasure them as though they are the most precious gift –"

She broke off, coughing harshly, her body shook.

"My child, save your energy –"Lux-Vita vehemently shook her head and interrupted Gandalf, "No, I must, I must speak. You must hear me out. I know my actions are cruel, and children are rare and precious. But I cannot carry this baby. I cannot, don't make me. Let it go, _please_ ," she begged.

"And what about the fiancé you claim to love, _girl_. You are killing his child; you Race of Men are all the same. Heartless murderers," Glóin spat, ignoring Gandalf's venomous glare.

Lux-Vita visibly flinched at the mention of Cedric, and lifeless emeralds concentrated on Thorin, whispering the last words she could utter, "You think my actions make me a monster. _Azog_ is a monster!" Thorin's eyes clouded with rage at the mere mention of Azog on the human's lips, but before he could rant and rave, she adamantly carried onwards, "You witnessed no monster, Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain. None of you have, unlike me …I have experienced the true monster and for that, this child shall not …"

Silence; complete utter silence.

" _No_! Lux-Vita? My child, awaken. _Come back_ ," Gandalf yelled, shaking her vigorously. The thirteen dwarves and Bilbo gaped in horror as the light dimmed from unique eyes, and her lifeless body slumped …

 _Lux-Vita was dead._

 **A/N:** **Sorry for the cliff-hanger people! Terribly sorry.**

 **I know most of you are probably having a hissy fit, grumbling that Lux-Vita was very OC in regards to canon Harry Potter; that no matter what, she would never have an abortion and kill her child, but put yourself in her shoes … all she had suffered through, she is still morning.**

 **Don't worry, Lux-Vita will be back soon, and stop being a whimpering, frightened girl.**

 **As part of my apology for keeping you waiting for a month for an update, I will have the next chapter out soon.**

 **Don't go away ... A couple hours and the next chapter will be posted.**

 **R &R.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 9:**

Seconds … Hours …. Minutes …

The Grey Wizard, thirteen dwarves, and lone hobbit did not know how much time had passed as shock-filled pair of eyes stared at the dead body of the human child. A girl they had mocked, scorned, insulted, harangued and distrusted for a month; a member of Thorin Oakenshield's Company, no matter if she were one grudgingly.

A stilled silence encompassed the air; grief embraced the fifteen figures, unable to detach their eyes from the gruesome and grave scene.

It wasn't until a smoothly soft musical soprano voice boomed from behind them that they all whipped around remembering their surroundings. A collective gasp emanated in sync from all but the Wizard as they stared at the gorgeously ethereal creature that stood in their midst. She had long golden locks that cascaded down to her waist, creamy smooth pale skin and starlight omnipresent eyes.

"Back up this instant. Now! Do as I say," she harshly commanded her voice frantic with worry. Gandalf glared at every single dwarf to obey Lady Galadriel's order, however, Glóin as usual, opened his mouth, sticking his foot where it didn't belong, "You are the Elf-Witch who seduces men! You will ensnare us with your spell and bewitch us to your service. _Witch_!"

"Master Dwarf, I warn you to keep your ridiculous thoughts to yourself and allow Lady Galadriel to save Lux-Vita!" Gandalf boomed, shooting Thorin a warning glare. Nodding in submission, the King under the Mountain ordered his Company to stand aside, to keep their distance yet not stray too far.

"She is dead. There is no saving her," Thorin muttered.

Lady Galadriel shook her head, her dainty, elegant hands hovering over Lux-Vita's womb, the knife already pulled aside and kept afar. "No. Not yet. I cannot allow both Realms' savior to submit to death."

"Both Realms' savior?" Balin inquired curiously, though his eyes were focused anxiously on the human lass. Lady Galadriel merely smiled, a secretive smile that grated on Thorin, Dwalin and Glóin's nerves, "That is for another time … all shall be revealed in due time. _Come on, child. Live_ ," she muttered lowly, starlight eyes beseeching the lifeless corpse to awaken.

Inhaling a tired breath, Lady Galadriel began speaking hushed tones with Gandalf, but all occupants heard her loud and clear, "Even if her soul returns, she will fade quickly. She must return back to her world, back to her loved ones … only they have the means of fixing her tarnished soul."

"What do you speak of my Lady?" Bilbo asked softly; unlike most of the Company, although he never uttered, or traded many words with the girl, he enjoyed her silent comradeship, and he didn't want her to die.

"Her soul is crying for her beloved. It desperately seeks to be reunited with the man she is enamored with," Lady Galadriel explained kindly, giving the hobbit a gentle smile.

Thorin scoffed, "Then why would she kill her child, killing herself in the process. The Race of Men knows not the true meaning of love," he spat bitterly. Lady Galadriel traded a bewildered look, staring curiously at Gandalf.

 _ **They do not know?**_ Gandalf wearily shook his head; _**She never uttered a word of her past, of what ails her, my Lady Galadriel.**_

"That will not do," she muttered just as Lux-Vita's eyes shot open, eyelashes fluttering bewilderly and a large gasp escaped her lips. "Welcome back, Lady Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter, savior of both Realms'. We have much to discuss."

The elf-witch gracefully stood up to her full height, and spoke in elegant, articulate words, "Please. Leave us be. Lady Lux-Vita and I have much we need to speak of, and I would appreciate there be no audience."

Thorin grumbled cusses under his breath, and after sparing the elf and wizard a long death glare, he dipped his head in acquiesce and ordered everyone to clear off and head back to their campsite. Only Gandalf stayed behind and Thorin wanted nothing more than to claim he remains as well since that damn human girl was a part of his Company. Yet one look at Gandalf and the Lady Galadriel he had heard so many tales about, and he knew that arguing would get him nowhere.

"Why did you save me? I was dead, I _wanted_ to stay dead," Lux-Vita cried, sobbing in despair; she was a hairbreadth away from reuniting with Cedric. She had been reaching out for him, his wonderful, warm smile welcoming her into heaven when she felt her soul forcefully retreat back to the land of the living; back to the bleak, hollow life she was cursed into living.

"You tire of life so much; you would depart like a coward? Leave both Middle Earth and Earth in chaos behind your wake?" Lady Galadriel asked; there was no blame in her voice, but her words caused Lux-Vita to recoil as though she were slapped.

"You know _nothing_ of what I have been forced to live, how I survived every day! What seeks my destruction? You have no right to judge me," the witch yelled angrily.

Lady Galadriel tucked a ruby strand neatly behind her ear and shot her a soothing yet gentle smile, "I offer no judgment, my child. But I do in fact _know_ the horrible life you lead, and the despairing future that lay ahead … however, I see happiness and a marvelous future if you seek to continue onwards, to fight bravely like you have already for the past fourteen years."

"What do you mean?" Lux-Vita asked bewilderly, all anger dissipated as she regarded Gandalf and the stunning woman in confusion.

Gandalf leaned forward, seating himself beside her and said, "I think it is time to offer you the answers you have been continuously seeking ever since you transported yourself into Middle Earth."

"My name is Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien, a powerfully gifted elleth; the term you know of, female elf." Lux-Vita's eyes widened in awe, and her eyes flickered toward the pointy ears hidden behind the thick curtain of luster hair. "When you arrived into Arda, I felt it, I summoned Mithrandir, Gandalf to you, to your side at once, knowing that you would trust him, and him alone for now. You _belong_ in Arda, Lux-Vita; you have a gift, a duty to both Realms; to Earth _and_ Middle Earth."

"I don't understand –"

"Listen, child. Lady Galadriel shall explain to the best of her abilities," Gandalf chided her softly.

"Yes. I will. However, you must accept that you may not know all the facts, _yet_. You still have much to learn, the answers shall provide themselves in their own time. One must be patient regarding knowledge."

Lux-Vita grudgingly nodded; story of her life. Headmaster Dumbledore told her the same four years ago. And now Gandalf and Lady Galadriel share the same sentiments. Yet she understood; grudgingly.

Lady Galadriel beamed at her, having heard the silent acceptance in Lux-Vita's mind.

"Tell me, my child. Have you ever heard of the term, Keeper of the Realms?" Lady Galadriel inquired.

"Um … no, I'm afraid I haven't. Should I have?" Lux-Vita cocked her head in question.

"If you grew up with your parents, you would have." The witch sucked in a deep breath at that, and stared curiously at the elleth, beseeching her to carry on with her explanation. "You see, Lux-Vita, magical blood is not the only inheritance running through your veins, but the blood of the Keeper of the Realms from your late mother's side. You have a duty to preserve both, Middle Earth and Earth, balance the destruction, and protect evil from passing both Realms."

"So, I belong in Middle Earth?" Lux-Vita asked, trying to stomach the shocking news the elleth had just revealed to her; her life would never be normal, no matter how much she tried. She was born that way, and a part of her accepted that four years ago when she discovered the meaning behind the scar that marred her forehead.

"Yes … and _no_. you belong in both worlds. It may seem confusing, but in time, you shall gather all the facts, and connect all the dots," Lady Galadriel stroked her cheek lovingly, fondness shining in her starlight eyes, "Your fate is tied with Thorin Oakenshield and his Company, my child, just as your fate is tied to the magical world and Voldemort."

"I want to go home," Lux-Vita pleaded in a tiny voice; she wanted to discuss her findings with Sirius and Dumbledore, she didn't want to remain in Arda any longer.

"And go home you shall. You are of no use when your soul is fighting for release. Your soul desperately craves your lost love, and I fear the longer you remain here, the shorter your life-span shall be," Lady Galadriel claimed sadly.

"Tell me, my child. Before you found yourself in Middle Earth in Bindbole Wood, where were you?" Gandalf asked, joining the conversation.

Lux-Vita's brow puckered in confusion, "I told you; I was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Yes, but what were you _thinking_?" he pressed.

There were a few moments of silence as the witch pondered the correct answer, before a gasp echoed around them, courtesy of Lux-Vita, "I was desperately wishing for an escape; an escape from the world for a while and to know peace. Then I found myself transported into the woods."

Lady Galadriel beamed as though she had answered a question correctly in class, " _That_ was the Keeper of the Realms blood activating within you. Only _you_ have the power, the ability to transport between the two Realms; you craved for peace, for an escape. Therefore …"

"I need to wish hard enough to return home and I will!" Lux-Vita whipped around to face a smug Gandalf, " _That's what you meant?_ When you told me only I can find the answer, 'deep in my conscious'. You damn wizards and your riddles!" she grumbled, eliciting a laugh from both the elleth and the Grey Wizard.

"I must warn you, my child. Now that you have activated your Keeper blood, you are tied to Arda. You _must_ return; I cannot stress the importance. The fate of Thorin Oakenshield and his Company lie within you. You will be able to feel when they are in danger, and vice versa. However, they must understand your burden, your horrible past," Lady Galadriel spoke solemnly.

"What are you proposing exactly?" Lux-Vita asked shakily, feeling nothing good could come out from the elleth's mouth. The elleth smiled in comprehension, "Allow permission to witness the hardship you suffered before landing in Middle Earth. Only then can trust be given freely, and you may do your duty unfettered."

The Wizard and the Elleth left Lux-Vita to her thoughts. It took a few minutes before she grudgingly nodded her head in admission.

Lady Galadriel stood up, "You are free to return home, my Lady. However, do not forget you are bound to Arda and the Dwarves. Your Keeper blood will urge you to return when you are needed."

"I understand," Lux-Vita smiled; she embraced Gandalf, surprising the old wizard immensely, and then nodded her gratitude to Lady Galadriel who uttered softly, "Until we meet again, Lady Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter, Keeper of the Realms."

"Goodbye," she whispered in response.

 _Home; Sirius; Dumbledore; Hermione; Ron; Hogwarts; Earth._ Her blood boiled, and she knew it was her Keeper genes being activated. Her body began drifting off, the familiar sensation of the Imperius Curse taking over her. Suddenly, she felt as though an invisible hand yanked her, and her feet touched thin air. Before she knew it the Grey Wizard and the motherly Elleth disappeared from her line of vision, and she was gone.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

"Where is she? Where is the human girl?" Thorin demanded angrily the second Tharkûn and the elf-witch arrived in their sights from the deep end of the forest.

"Gone," Lady Galadriel beamed, prompting loud muttering from all around her, "She has returned home, to her family, to her home and loved ones."

"So the pest is finally gone, aye," Nori grinned, ignoring the glares he received from Ori, Fíli and Kíli.

Lady Galadriel stared at Nori with anger and fury, "One must show respect to a higher power. Lady Lux-Vita shall return. Do not fret; you have yet to have seen the end of her."

"Then you shall keep her with you. We do not need any more distractions from the weakling human," Thorin spat. He then regarded Lady Galadriel with contempt, "And I want to no _elf_ in my Company. Leave us be."

If Lady Galadriel was offended, it did not show on her visage, she merely smiled and approached him. "Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain, son of Thrain, son of Thror. Your pride and stubbornness shall be your downfall. I do hope you learn from your ancestors' mistakes if you wish to succeed in reclaiming Erebor."

"You dare –"

"Quiet Thorin!" Gandalf boomed, dark energy surrounding them from Gandalf's ire, warning every dwarf to be silent.

"I shall take my leave, Thorin Oakenshield. But before I do so, I will allow you to witness Lux-Vita's bearing. The child you all mocked derisively, the child you all blamed and alienated so despicably, the child you all judged ruthlessly," Lady Galadriel's tone turned mystical, and every dwarf recoiled with the weight of her words against their conscious. "Under Lady Lux-Vita's permission of course, you shall all be allowed to witness the burden she bears, the reason for her weakened and wrecked, pitiful state; the heavy weight that crushes a fourteen-year-old girl's shoulder that you all scoffed at."

The air around Thorin and his Company began turning into a misty fog, their surroundings were being molded into different shapes and their location abruptly twisted, forming into the unknown; the last thing they heard was Lady Galadriel's mystical voice say, "There is an old adage that says; be careful what you wish for. You wished to know about Lux-Vita, and now you shall."

"Where are we?" Thorin growled angrily.

"I told you! I told you, she is an elf-witch! She cast a spell on us," Glóin roared searching for his weapons in the hope of slashing and beheading any enemies hidden in their midst.

"Quiet!" Gandalf hissed, and the thirteen dwarves and lone hobbit were shell-shocked to see Tharkûn assembled with them. "Lady Galadriel has cast no spell on you _fools_. She has transported you into the memory of our dear, Lux-Vita. Concentrate."

"Hey look, there's Lux-Vita!" Fíli crowed all of a sudden; every member whipped around and gasped in shock when they found themselves facing a different girl from the one they had accompanying them for a month. Although she looked weary and dirty, her ruby hair was luscious and healthy, her emerald eyes shone with a glow of happiness, and her skin was creamy and not gaunt or sunken.

She was running towards a curious golden cup, when they all heard a commotion and her face turned into one of horror, "Cedric! On your left!"

"Cedric? That's her fiancé," Kíli said jovially; they all turned to see an aristocratic-looking handsome young man with bronze hair and golden eyes. He was about to be jumped by a giant spider, but luckily moved aside right in time.

" _Stupefy_!" Lux-Vita yelled and a red jet of light hit the giant spider. The Company watched in awe as both Cedric and Lux-Vita yelled countless of spells before managing to successfully subdue the giant spider, but not before she was bitten in the leg by its sticky venom.

"Well, now we know what ailed her leg," Óin grumbled. The two humans marched toward the cup and began arguing over who would take it.

"Ced! Go on, take it," Lux-Vita beamed.

Cedric shook his head, "You take it. You should win, love. That's twice you saved my neck in here."

"Babe, it's not like that. I didn't know we were keeping score," Lux-Vita's arms snaked around his waist, and she stared up at him with the purest emotion of love that struck each of the dwarf's heart. "I didn't sign up for this damn tournament. Someone placed my name in. I don't want money, glory or fame, I have enough of that. I just want you to win so we can get out of here," she smiled fondly.

"I'm a Hufflepuff, what do you expect," Cedric retorted before placing a chaste kiss on her lips, "You told me about the dragons, Lux. I would've gone down in the First Task if you hadn't told me what was coming."

"She was being honest when she conversed of dragons!" Dwalin boomed in disbelief. In fact, every dwarf disregarded her words, and the guilt returned tenfold. Thorin's face was permanently morphed in a mixture of horror and guilt.

After a few minutes of the couple arguing, Lux-Vita finally said, "Together. Let's win this thing together, _fiancé_ ," her eyes glittered with mischief, and before they knew it, just as the two humans grabbed the cup, the Company's location changed and they found themselves in a spooky graveyard.

"Where are we?" Balin asked calmly, though he had a bad sensation about this location.

"In Lux-Vita's worst memory that haunts her every second of every day," Gandalf said each word laced heavily with sadness and despair. They observed as Cedric and Lux-Vita collided with the ground, the cup rolling from their hands; Cedric went to examine the cup before mentioning it was a portkey to their confusion.

Suddenly, Lux-Vita began screaming in agonizing pain at the top of their lungs bent down on all fours, clutching her forehead.

"What is happening to her?" Thorin yelled, concern overtaking his features. Fíli, Kíli and Ori were frightened with the rapid change in events and a foreboding feeling was ambient in the air.

"Lux-Vita! Lux? _Lux!_ " Cedric was bent over Lux-Vita's form. Putting his arms around her, Cedric gently shook her, "Lux, what is it? What's wron-"Cedric drew a sharp intake of breath as he noticed the blood trickling down from her scar.

" _Ced, Cedric!"_ Lux-Vita whimpered, "Go, get out of here! The cup is a portkey! Take it back to Hogwarts!"

"I don't like this Uncle Thorin," Kíli whimpered, and for once Thorin inwardly cursed his damn curiosity. He wished he never demanded to know about the human girl; perhaps he wouldn't be in this vile situation.

"He will never leave her. He loves her," Bombur said sadly; and he was right. The words barely left the cook's mouth when Cedric adamantly denied leaving.

"There is someone approaching," Dwalin growled out, he dearly missed his beloved dual axes, Grasper and Keeper and wished more than ever, that he had them with him, even though they couldn't interfere with the memory. Weapons gave the dwarves the feeling of safety, and they never left home without one on their person.

"No! Cedric, no! Go quickly!" Lux-Vita yelled at the top of her lungs as she struggled to stand up.

"Is that a bundle of blankets in that hooded figure's arm?" Dori asked in confusion. But before anyone could answer, or speculate further, a high, cold voice that sent a chilled shiver down each member of the Company's spine, hissed, " _Kill the spare._ "

There was a swishing noise and a second voice screeched the two unfathomable words, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

"NOOOOOO!" Lux-Vita yelled desperately.

"Avada Kedavra! What does that mean Gandalf?" Fíli asked the Wizard in frightened tones. Gandalf had a grave look appear on his features, his eyes focused on the horrid scene occurring right before their very eyes, and he sadly said, "Look and see."

There was a blast of green light, hitting Cedric square on the chest. His body flew a few inches and dropped onto the ground with a loud thump. There was a collective gasp as the dwarves, the hobbit and the Grey Wizard gazed downward at Cedric; Cedric was laying spread-eagled on the ground beside Lux-Vita, his open golden eyes that held so much emotions were now blank and expressionless, and his mouth was half-open in slight surprise.

"Is he, is he … _dead_?" Kíli whispered sadly. Gandalf tightly closed his eyes and uttered that dratted word, "Yes, Kíli. He is dead."

Now they all understood Lux-Vita's action when she witnessed the lady from Bree dead on the side of the road; the reason why her soul was fading; the reason for her heart-wrenching sadness. Her fiancé, the love of her life, died right before her eyes while she could do nothing but stand by and watch it happen.

"It was two words. How can two words kill a person? What sorcery is this?" Thorin roared, his hands shaking with fear and anger, while his eyes gazed at the forlorn girl he scorned with utmost despair and guilt.

"Earth is a much dangerous world than Middle Earth, Thorin," Gandalf sighed, but Thorin was unable to respond as his nephews began yelling at the top of their lungs to leave the human girl alone. The fifteen members of the Company could do nothing but stand idly by and observe the young girl get manhandled, slammed and tied up onto a marbled gravestone by the short figure.

"What are they going to do to her?" Dori shrieked, feeling pity for the defenseless young girl. Dori's question was answered in spades; they watched sadly as the light disappeared from Lux-Vita's eyes, she was numb, uncaring of her surroundings, her eyes focused on her fiancé's dead body. She barely made a sound as the short figure began preparing a large cauldron and adding ingredients.

" _Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"_

There was a crack on the surface of the grave at Lux-Vita's feet. A hiss of something colliding with the water. A vivid poisonous-looking blue light.

" _Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive your master."_

"Mahal," Thorin, Dwalin, Balin and Glóin whispered in horror as they all observed the short figure amputate his hand and an agonizing scream pierced the air. The limb splashed into the cauldron and it began hissing with a red glow.

"Wait! Why is he approaching Lux-Vita?" Kíli growled angrily, his protective instincts toward the human girl returning tenfold. Simultaneously, Fíli began shouting, "Get away from her! _Don't touch her_! Hey!" Gandalf and the elder dwarves did not have the heart to inform young Fíli and Kíli that nobody would hear them; that they were merely meant to observe and couldn't change the circumstances from taking place; that it had already _happened_ before.

" _B-Blood of the enemy … forcibly taken … you will … resurrect your foe."_

"Holy! Mahal!" Dori and Nori crowed in disgust.

"That was how she received that cut in her inner wrist," Óin snarled in disgust, his hand fumbling with his hearing aid. The short man added the drops of blood into the cauldron and mere minutes later, a pale, tall, skinny figure emerged slowly from the cauldron through the mist.

"Robe me," a high, cold voice spoke from behind the steam – the same voice that demanded Wormtail to kill Cedric. The Company watched with disgust at the figure: wide, livid scarlet eyes. His face whiter than a skull and a nose flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils.

"What monster is it," Thorin gasped in revulsion; he resembled Azog in the paleness, in the cruel intents displayed in the sinister eyes. Unbidden, Lux-Vita's last words played in his head; _'You think my actions make me a monster. Azog is a monster! You witnessed no monster, Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain. None of you have, unlike me …I have experienced the true monster._ '

"Mahal!" that was the only word the dwarves could articulate. Bilbo was a shivering mess beside a horror-stricken Gandalf as they observed the skeletal figure. They silently watched as he pressed a wand into a gruesome black mark from the short figure and how the graveyard became surrounded with hooded figures, surrounding the immobile and numb Lux-Vita.

They watched in distaste as the hooded figures bowed down to the skeletal monster, some kissing his feet, some reverently whispering, 'Master.'

"Like Sauron, this, _being_ , is the Dark Lord in Lux-Vita's world," Gandalf commented with malice. His words had the added effect of creating an expression of disgust, hatred and disdain on each dwarf's features.

"What is happening?" Balin suddenly asked as the scene began moving forward in fast motion. Gandalf sucked in a sharp inhalation of breath, "You have been brought here to witness the happenings of Lux-Vita; as of now, the Dark Lord's speech is of no importance, you shall find out in due time, it is just not now. Curb your curiosity for the time being and be patient."

Suddenly, the images stopped moving forward, and they gasped in horror when the Dark Lord approached Cedric's dead body.

"That! That –"Nori cursed in Khuzdul, and he wasn't the only one; for when the Dark Lord placed his foot on Cedric's face, they all boiled in rage at the blatant disrespect.

" _DON'T TOUCH HIM! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"_ Lux-Vita yelled in rage, shocking the hooded figures simultaneously. But the skeletal monster merely smirked and approached the human girl, "You cared for him, didn't you? You want to join him in death, don't you?" he placed a finger onto Lux-Vita's soft, smooth and creamy cheek – she didn't even flinch, even as her scar began bleeding due to his touch, "I cannot just simply grant you your wish now when you _want_ to die, you must feel pain first; pain by my hand that would kill your soul, making you suffer even in death."

"What does- what does he mean, Uncle?" Kíli whispered in disgust. Thorin felt the bile rise in his throat, hoping for once that he would be proved wrong. All dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf observed with barely concealed horror at the next action that took place; he unbound her and then proceeded to drag her body until she lay next to Cedric's dead form before ripping her clothes off.

Every member closed their eyes, unable to witness the horror taking place before their very eyes. Tears began to drip down their eyelids as Lux-Vita's desperate screaming filled the air, pleading for death.

"Hmm, I don't think I will … you wanted to die Lux-Vita and me being the honorable Lord, I shall grant you your wish. But you are the reason I lived worse than a spirit in excruciating pain for thirteen years, and for that, you shall suffer before your death!"

Nobody cared to discern the meaning behind his words; they curbed their insatiable curiously wanting nothing more than to escape the horror Lux-Vita lived. Thorin hated himself more than ever for his cruel demeanor toward the human girl ever since he first laid eyes upon her, and wished that he could take his actions back, wished he could beg her for forgiveness … and he wasn't the only one. Every single dwarf that scorned her hated themselves more than ever.

Rape; such a thing was rare among their people, that if such a disgusting act happened, everyone called for the dwarf's death.

The hooded men were all _cheering_ ; despicable men. However, an action stood out the most; whenever the Dark Lord hissed the word ' _Crucio_ ', Lux-Vita's screams would increase tenfold. It took forever for the monster to quit defiling her, and when they finally opened their eyes, they were met with a barely breathing girl, whimpering in pain, blood coating her body.

The monster grinned sinisterly before saying, "Now untie her hands, Wormtail, and give her back her wand." Just as the wooden stick was placed in her possession, the Dark Lord uttered ' _Crucio_ ' again, and for the first time, the fifteen observers witnessed the effect of the spell.

"It's a torture curse," Dwalin growled in horror and anger once he comprehended the use.

"Yes. Tis the reason why Lux-Vita's vocal chords were ruptured; why she had the tremors. It was the after effect," Gandalf spoke soberly, his grey eyes dimmed immensely.

"We bow to each other Lux-Vita," the Dark Lord smirked bending a little, but all Lux-Vita did was glare at him with the utmost hatred she could conjure, "Come, the niceties must be observed. … Dumbledore would like you to show manners. … Bow to death, Lux-Vita. …"

Curses in Khuzdul filled the air; the dwarves didn't think it was possible to despise anyone more than Azog, but this monster really made them rethink their beliefs.

After a couple more torture curses, the monster grinned in anticipation. "A little break," his slit-nostrils dilated with excitement, "A little pause … that hurt, didn't it, Lux-Vita? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

"He's toying with her. Son of an Orc," Thorin spat; he _now_ understood Lux-Vita's burden. She may be a child, but she wasn't allowed to act as one; she had been robbed of her childhood. Just as Azog had been after him, this monster was after her.

"I will never ever EVER bow down to you, you megalomaniac bastard!" Lux-Vita yelled with the utmost hatred; the dwarves couldn't help but applaud her for the bravery she showed in spite of death.

"You won't?" the Dark Lord hissed quietly, his eyes narrowed in complete rage. "You won't say no? Lux-Vita, obedience is a virtue; I need to teach you before you die. … Perhaps another dose of pain?"

More curses echoed around the air; fifteen pairs of eyes narrowed in hatred. However, Lux-Vita ducked behind the marble headstone before the monster's curse could impact her body.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Lux-Vita," the Dark Lord said tauntingly, his soft, cold voice drawing nearer as the hooded figures laughed yet again. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean you would prefer me to finish it now, Lux-Vita? Come out, Lux-Vita … come out and play, then … it will be quick … it might even be painless … I would not know … I have never died …"

Bifur began signing in Iglishmêk; all of them were quite nasty curses, growling at the scene with hatred. To their awe, Lux-Vita whipped around the headstone and cried out, " _Reducto_!" just as the Dark Lord yelled, " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

"That's the spell that killed Cedric," Kíli cried out, his hand clenched in Fíli's, both brothers watching the scene occur in fear. However, they were astounded when illusions of the dead began emanating from the Dark Lord's wand.

A man and a woman that resembled Lux-Vita and they knew to be her parents appeared as well as Cedric, but before they could hear any of the words traded, the scene changed yet again. Before any of the dwarves could ask the question, Gandalf said, "It is a personal moment; again, you must be patient, one day you might be able to hear the words shared.

The dwarves nodded grumpily, yet grudgingly. Looking around, they found themselves in front of a marvelous castle, cheering filled the air as Lux-vita and Cedric's dead body landed on the grass, the golden cup spilling onto the side.

"Hey, Gandalf, that man resembles you exactly," Bofur crowed, garnering mutters of agreement from everyone else and a slight chuckle from Gandalf – yes, now he could understand Lux-Vita's pint of view when she mentioned how much they look alike.

The last thing they were able to hear or see, was Lux-Vita desperately grab the Gandalf-clone and whisper in fear, "He's back! He's back. _Voldemort_."

"The Dark Lord is called Voldemort, hmm," Balin pondered out loud, just as the mist descended and they found themselves back in their campsite.

"I think we should rest, for we have to continue our journey onward at daylight," Gandalf huffed calmly, separating himself from the congregation of dwarves and leaving them behind to their guilt-ridden thoughts.

 **A/N:** **And there we have it … Next chapter will be all about Lux-Vita.**

 **Don't worry, I won't be showing Lux-Vita's remaining years at Hogwarts. It will merely be a quick skim, by Chapter 11 we will be back in Middle Earth.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the double chapter for today. There are many plot twists to come. ;)**

 **R &R. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 10:**

Sirius Black was not a patient man. He was famously known as the hot-headed, brash, rebellious, impatient and loud member of the Marauders. That Halloween night, when Voldemort murdered the Potters, Sirius unrestrainedly searched for the traitorous rat, when he should have taken the time to visit Dumbledore, inform him about the change in Secret Keepers and take custody of his goddaughter. Also, when Sirius discovered the traitorous rat's survival from the newspaper clipping while imprisoned in Azkaban, after he succeeded in escaping, he should have sent a memory of that night to Dumbledore or at least, Madam Bones. Instead, the brash Marauder broke into Hogwarts, destroyed the portrait of the Fat Lady, held a knife over Ronald Weasley's sleeping form and then kidnapped the golden trio into Shrieking Shack.

Sirius Black was _not_ a patient man; he was in fact immensely impatient, excruciatingly so, that once he was forcibly restrained, he would morph into an obnoxious, loud and insufferable man.

Currently, said Marauder was pacing dizzying footsteps around the Headmaster's office, snarling and mumbling heatedly to himself, his grey eyes turning stormy whenever he looked up to see the Headmaster sitting in his chair with a pleasantly serene expression on his wizened face; in fact, the only significance indicating Albus Dumbledore's ire, was the soft blue eyes, hardened to resemble ice and devoid of the usual good-natured twinkling.

The reason this time for Sirius' impatience was over witnessing Lux-Vita's memory of the tragic night; Dumbledore adamantly insisted they await Snape's arrival from Voldemort, and the Marauder lacked any patience, _especially_ when related to his beloved pup.

"Ah," Dumbledore was the first to break the stifling silence, his hardened eyes locked onto the closed door, "Severus has arrived."

"About bloody time," Sirius snarled, ceasing his vertiginous pacing and he too, stared expectantly at the door.

The Death Eater turned spy barged through the door without a word and slumped onto the offered seat, his face blankly impassive, displaying no emotion whatsoever except for his trembling hands. Without waiting for the obvious question, he gritted out, "The Dark Lord is overjoyed I have your utmost trust. He believes me to be his spy and accepted me into the inner circle."

"Marvelous," Dumbledore smiled jovially, ignoring Sirius' disbelieving scoff, "Well then, let us put our minds at ease and witness the memory Lux-Vita has-"

"I have no desire to witness the memory, Dumbledore," Severus suddenly barked, his already sallow face turning even more pallid, giving him the striking resemblance of the Bloody Baron.

"Are you kidding me?!" Sirius finally blew his lid off, "We have been waiting an hour for your return to watch it and now you say you don't _want to_!"

"Yes, Black. I. Don't. Want. To," Severus enunciated firmly, his onyx eyes hardening with rage, "The Dark Lord, though injured by Potter, wasted no time in gloating over his actions. I would rather not witness the detestable actions; _listening_ to him gloating was vile enough."

The genuine disgust in Snape's voice managed to shock Sirius speechless, merely nodding and facing the pensieve patiently, for once. Sending one last bewildered glance at the double spy, Dumbledore carefully dropped the pearly white memory into the pensieve and both men plunged inside.

Watching the light leave Lux-Vita's eyes and her will to live was excruciatingly painful for both men to witness; her disinterest with Voldemort's rebirth, unfazed and emotionless emerald eyes locked onto Cedric's lifeless body caused them turmoil and Sirius leaked out a few painful tears of despair. That Peter Pettigrew, the once best friend of the Marauders turned traitorous rat, murdered Lux-Vita's fiancé and tied her onto the tombstone, giving aid to Voldemort incensed Sirius, but when the rat inflicted a large gash onto his pup's arm and forcibly took her blood, caused him to erupt, spewing curses in many different languages, threatening a long and painful death.

Dumbledore was silent throughout the events, his fists clenching and unclenching, mouth pursed into a grim line and blue eyes dilating with extreme rage while the Marauder vented his anger out loud. They both turned silent and listened judiciously as Voldemort began a long tirade, especially with the arrival of the few Death Eaters who managed to escape Azkaban, gloating over his survival and ability to escape death.

" _I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost … but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know … I, who have gone further than_ __ _anybody along the path that leads to immortality."_

Those words made a huge impact on Dumbledore and his eyes narrowed in thought, the meaning behind those simple words carelessly thrown out, initiating his ingenious mind to whir over the several implications and possibilities.

Unfortunately, his mind turned blank, mouth agape upon witnessing Voldemort's crudely vile actions play out, and Sirius dropped onto his knees, stormy eyes transforming into a blank, deadened state; both men could do nothing but silently watch as the vilest, most evil Dark Lord defiled the grieving Lux-Vita in the most despicable way adjacent to her dead fiancé's dead body. Watching in horror as Voldemort cast countless Cruciatus Curses on her _while_ defiling her had Sirius expelling his insides, hurling all over the ground with a constant stream of tears cascading down his gaunt face.

Dumbledore closed his eyes in pain, a hand over his chest, disbelief and revulsion rippling throughout his body; never before had he witnessed such a vile act displayed with his own two eyes; Tom's evil _truly_ knew no bound. Now the two men understood why Lux-Vita seemed dead and immobile, other than her fiancé dying right before her eyes, she was raped and tortured in the most abhorrent fashion with countless of witnesses jeering. It was glaringly obvious to them _why_ Lux-Vita lost the will to live.

But still, she prevailed, displaying impressive valor against Voldemort.

With acromantula poison in her system, grief taking over her body, loss of blood, excruciatingly raped, and victim to innumerous amounts of the torture curse and _still_ , she fought off the Dark Lord's powerful Imperius Curse without flinching.

Pride engulfed the two men; pride when she met the other side of Voldemort's wand with a brave face, and then awe hit them when they witnessed the Priori Incantatem take place. Seeing James and Lily brought Sirius once again to his knees; even in death, the two brave parents protected their daughter.

Sinister glee took effect when they observed Lux-Vita adamantly harming Voldemort before she left, blowing off a chunk of his stomach before disappearing with Cedric from the graveyard, Voldemort's scream of rage and pain echoing in their ears before they were regurgitated from the pensieve and into the familiar office of the Headmaster.

Silence engulfed the room as both men stared impassively at Severus Snape's hollow face and Sirius threw up once again on the ground before the Headmaster deftly vanished it with the causal flick of his wand.

Staring agonizingly at the opposite wall, Sirius remained by the ground on his knees and spoke in a hollow voice, "You were smart not to watch the memory, Snape. It was … _horrible_ ," he croaked, "So, so, devastating. That sick bastard!" His body began wracking with sobs, arms hugging himself unable to maintain eye contact with anyone.

"I hoped the Dark Lord was merely gloating," Snape whispered; and he did, but the expression on Dumbledore and Black's face unfortunately proved him wrong. His fists clenched; the Dark Lord defiled his precious Lily's daughter in an abhorrent way … now more than ever, he wished to obliterate that abomination. Hatred toward James Potter's spawn aside, he wouldn't wish such harm upon his worst enemy.

Once Severus returned to his room, Albus and Sirius hastened their way over to the Hospital Wing to confront the grieving girl, however they paused in their steps, agape when their eyes met Lux-Vita's bloody form.

"Pup! Pup! What happened to you?!" Sirius yelled, ambling over to her side, the Headmaster not far behind. Lux-Vita was dressed in a weird archaic assortment of clothes, her ruby red hair marred with mud and twigs as well as her pale skin. White tunic pooled with crimson.

"Where did you get these clothes from and why are you drenched in blood and muck?" Albus asked when Sirius' question received no reply.

Lux-Vita shakily stared at both men in confusion and tilted her head to the side, "How long have I been gone?" Her inexplicable question had them trade bewildered looks, unable to comprehend what Lux-Vita meant.

" _Gone_? Pup, we left you two hours ago. What are you talking about?" Sirius whispered.

And then, Lux-Vita explained to them in a measured tone that she had transported herself into this weird land called Middle Earth over a month ago. Meeting the Grey Wizard, Gandalf, a hobbit, Bilbo and twelve dwarves, before finally informing them about an elf-witch named Galadriel and her being the Keeper of the Realms, Earth and Middle Earth, passed on from her mother's side.

It was a lot to swallow; an information overload after having just witnessed the memory in the pensieve, but both men took it in stride.

"I believe I have read old tomes about there being innumerable worlds out there, my dear. You will need to be trained in combat for the future. However, I believe it best that none of what you have divulged leave this room," Albus warned.

"I always believed there was something more to Lily, something special," Sirius smiled fondly, before his eyes narrowed onto her blood drenched form, "But why are you covered in blood?"

"I-I, the magic in Middle Earth was potent in the air, and I sensed darkness following me. I-I, Sirius I was pregnant with Voldemort's child," Lux-Vita gasped out, tears rapidly falling down her face. Sirius stiffened, eyes widening as he slumped down on the chair beside her, while Dumbledore gaped, tortured eyes never leaving her form. "I killed it. Stabbed my stomach, and I died. I saw C-Cedric before Galadriel brought me back," she whispered in between broken sobs.

"Oh, my poor child. I am so sorry, my dear," Albus sighed forlornly. "You are so brave. Such a brave girl."

"It changes nothing. You're still my pup," Sirius firmly told her.

"Don't tell anyone … _please_ ," Lux-Vita whispered; child of Voldemort it may have been, the Girl-Who-Lived was still repulsed with herself for murdering an innocent child, nearly taking her life in the process.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Lady Galadriel did the correct approach in sending Lux-Vita back to Earth. With the Headmaster, Sirius, Ron and Hermione by her side, the grief and pain of Cedric's loss began to dim slightly, and although his loss affected her gravely, she managed to smile every once in a while when surrounded by her loved ones.

After she had been given leave from the Hospital Wing, Lux-Vita attended Cedric's memorial in Hogwarts and then afterward, his funeral. Lord and Lady Diggory assured her quite vehemently that they did not blame her for his death, and for such blame to leave her conscience.

Dumbledore had her return to the Dursleys the first week of the holidays to strengthen the blood ward of Lily before sending her off to Japan with Sirius to be trained by a Sensei, Min Chaoi, who was also a wizard.

Sirius paid a hefty amount for Lux-Vita to receive the best training in a time-room where her training and living accommodation would take place; a month would be equivalent to two years in the time-room, and Lux-Vita and Sirius spent six years together with Min Chaoi.

With the Sensei teaching her martial arts and weaponry and Sirius teaching her all forms of magic, even quite a bit of Dark Arts, Lux-Vita emerged into a different person; she was deftly skilled in Jujutsu, Taekwondo, Gungsol which focused on archery, Hwa Rang Do, Itto-Ryu which focuses on sword-fighting, Judo and Karate. Lux-Vita became proficient in weaponry, such as swords, archery and throwing knives, even a staff; also, she was trained hard to fight ambidextrously.

Sirius taught her well in all sorts of magic, especially defense and dueling, using non-verbal spells and wandless magic; all in all, Lux-Vita would never be useless in a fight, be it magical or muggle combat, and whenever she returned to Middle Earth, she would be able to protect the dwarves in their quest proficiently, especially with the weapons personally crafted for her sake.

Six years may have passed, but Lux-Vita still resembled her fifteen-year-old self. She and Sirius made up for the time lost where he was imprisoned for twelve years and they were extremely close. However, the grief and pain of Cedric's loss never wavered, she still had an aching hole in her heart, her soul was still weeping and Voldemort defiling her lingered on her conscience every day. But she was no longer lifeless with no will to survive, revenge burned inside of her and she wouldn't rest until both Voldemort and the rat were dead on her feet.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

"Lux! We missed you so much!" Hermione squealed, engulfing Lux-Vita in a suffocating hug.

"Hermione, let the girl breath," Ron chuckled, ambling forward for a hug as well.

Lux-Vita beamed at her two best friends; although she spent six years in Japan, she managed to send them a letter every month due to the difference in time being in the Time-Room, and confided in them all that had happened to her in the pensieve, her role as Keeper of the Realms, and Voldemort's baby. True to their title as her best friends, they took the news in stride and never abandoned her.

There was a week remaining before their fifth year at Hogwarts, and Sirius had lend Dumbledore his ancestral home in Grimmauld Place as Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix which was secured with the Fidelius Charm, Dumbledore being the Secret Keeper. The Weasleys and Remus spent two months inhabiting the house, cleaning it and purging all the Dark Arts from its midst in the process.

Since Sirius was still accused of being a Death Eater with the order to be kissed on sight from the Ministry, his six year vacation in Japan with his pup had come to an end, and was now required to hide out in the house he sorely despised until the rat was captured and his name exonerated.

Of course, Lux-Vita still received news from Britain, and knew that she was being branded as an attention-seeking liar since the ministry adamantly denying Voldemort's return. With her Sensei's training, she learned to vent her anger in training and had a tight leash on her explosive temper, a feat according to Sirius, since it was genetic from Lily Potter's scary temper.

The Order informed Lux-Vita that two Dementors appeared in Privet Drive at the beginning of August and kissed two muggles, causing uproar in the ministry. It was glaringly obvious to the Order, that the intended victim was Lux-Vita, and although pity was doled out to the poor, now soulless muggles, relief that Lux-Vita had been out of the country was apparent.

Voldemort was lying low, taking advantage over the Ministry's disbelief and denial, discarding Lux-Vita and Dumbledore's claims to build impenetrable forces for when he revealed his return. In the meantime, the Order was guarding some sort of weapon … that was all the information allowed to be revealed, stating that Lux-Vita was still a child and could not yet be inducted into the Order and their dangerous missions.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Fifth year at Hogwarts was horrendous with the amphibian Dolores Umbridge in charge, bequeathing herself the title of High Inquisitor and then later on, Headmistress.

Umbridge doled out illegal detentions, having them all write lines using a blood quill and carving permanent words onto their hands; Hermione and Ron convinced Lux-Vita to teach willing students Defense since Umbridge didn't allow the usage of wands in her class, ordering them all to read botched up gibberish in the classroom; a member of the DA betrayed them, succeeding in causing Dumbledore to flee and Umbridge to take up the mantle as Headmistress.

Lux-Vita despised the Ministry, Fudge and Umbridge; their disbelief was an insult to her Cedric's death; claiming that his death was an 'unfortunate accident' caused Lux-Vita to retaliate with everything she had and all the strength she possessed.

Hogwarts was a warzone; nobody respected the toad. Teachers and students alike disrupted the peace, pranking Slytherins who joined the toad, left and right, making Umbridge's rule difficult.

Of course, tradition must ensue, and at the end of the year, Lux-Vita found herself fighting for her life … or the life of her godfather. Voldemort tricked her into departing Hogwarts, arriving in the Ministry of Magic aboard Thestrals with Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny and a Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. Tricked into the Department of Mysteries, precisely, the Hall of Prophecies, where Lux-Vita discovered a prophecy made about her and Voldemort was the so-called weapon the Order had been constantly guarding.

Twelve Death Eaters against six adolescent students; Lux-Vita fought like a terror, using up all the repertoire of spells she was taught in Japan, and managing to kill three Death Eaters in the process without remorse. Unfortunately, her six years of experience could not be given to her five loyal friends and they were all harmed in the battle before Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and Mad-Eye arrived to their aid.

And then tragedy struck once more … Sirius died; he was hit by some unknown hex by his deranged cousin, who was a notorious, ruthless Death Eater, imprisoned for fifteen years and losing the last strand of sanity, Bellatrix Lestrange. The spell caused him to fall backwards into the Veil of Death, and Lux-Vita watched in an agonizing slow motion as the joy left her beloved godfather's face, grey eyes widening in fear and shock as he gracefully arched into the veil and disappeared from sight.

" _Crucio!_ " Hate boiled like molten lava in her chest, and the grieving savior watched in malicious glee as the deranged bitch twitched and screamed by her feet. "I was told that you have to _mean_ it and I HATE you! You deserve worse than death you psychotic bitch!"

"I must say, I'm impressed," a cold voice whispered from behind her, releasing the spell on the convulsing Bellatrix as emerald green eyes widened, turning slowly to face the abomination that haunted her for seven years. Voldemort's snake-like face twisted into a sinister smile, "Growing dark, are we dear?"

Locking up all the fear and revulsion, all the bile that threatened to spill, and all the traitorously horrendous memories of that night when he killed her fiancé and defiled her, Lux-Vita glared at the monstrosity. It was a well-known fact that she would face Voldemort in battle once more, and could not freeze in his midst. In Japan, both Sirius and her Sensei had her admitted to a mind healer to regale the tragically haunting event, and Lux-Vita was stronger for that.

"You destroyed my prophecy. You have irked me for so long! _Goodbye_ Lux-Vita," before she could vocalize a spell, the abomination hissed, " _Avada Kedavra_."

But before the jet green light could hit her, the statue in the lobby sprung to life, protecting her from the killing blow, and Lux-Vita watched in awe as Dumbledore and Voldemort, two of the most powerful wizards, dueled each other. Hatred boiled in her chest, and she managed to lift her wand arm and cast the slicing hex, successfully amputating Voldemort's left hand and eliciting an agonizing yell of agony and horror.

Dumbledore gaped at her in awe, while Voldemort was shell-shocked over the loss of his limb, he disappeared from their midst and possessed her, unable to last more than a minute due to all the ardor emotions and grief over her godfather's loss.

The pompous, blithering fool of a minister and his goonies managed to witness Voldemort leave her body, grab his amputated arm and Bellatrix in turn, and vanish; finally admitting his return with two terrifying words.

" _He's back!_ "

It was a whirlwind of emotions and a flurry of activities after that declaration; she was given an unauthorized portkey and transported into the Headmaster's office; smashed all Dumbledore's possessions in fits of unadulterated rage, ignoring her Sensei training with the death of her godfather and the Headmaster finally acknowledging her; the Headmaster came clean, admitting why he ignored her all year and the reason why Voldemort targeted her since birth, and the haunting prophecy echoed around the room.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark the one as his equal, but the one will have power the Dark Lord knows not … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives … the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …"_

Deep inside, she always knew that it would come to this … only she would face the monster and abolish him and his evil tyranny for world domination. Yet with Sirius gone, Lux-Vita found herself unable to think. First Cedric, now Sirius; she collapsed onto the ground, hyperventilating uncontrollably while Dumbledore aimlessly tried to ground her and awaken her from the heart-wrenching grief.

And then, the conversation took a rapid turn, perking her ears up in interest and giving her faith.

"The Veil of Death is a curious thing, Lux-Vita. Decades ago, I found an interest in deciphering its purpose and machination, but to no avail. That was _until_ you confided with me last year in the hospital wing after your adventurous return from Middle Earth."

Lux-Vita's gaze burnt into the Headmaster's soft blue eyes, "What are you saying exactly?"

Sucking in a deep intake of breath, Dumbledore pierced her with a meaningful stare, "I am saying, my dear, that I firmly believe the Veil of Death is a portal to another world, precisely, _Middle Earth_."

"But-but, many criminals have been administered execution by being thrown into the Veil. That means many wrongdoers are wandering Middle Earth," Lux-Vita gasped, a mixture of horror and hope bubbling inside of her.

"Do not misunderstand me and raise your hopes, Lux-Vita," Dumbledore shook his head somberly, "It is merely a vague notion of mine. My deduction may or may not be accurate-"

" _But it is possible_? There _is_ a possibility that Sirius is alive and in Middle Earth?" Lux-Vita interjected, her voice increasing in volume, too terrified to hope.

"Yes."

The only sound in response was Fawkes' trilling nearby; all the portraits of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses stared at Lux-Vita, patiently awaiting her reaction.

"I believe you must practice mastering transporting yourself into Middle Earth, but take caution my dear girl. _If_ Sirius is indeed in the other Realm, he will not be easily located," Dumbledore warned her.

Determination filled Lux-Vita; she would master transportation, and come hell or high water, nothing would stop her, _nothing_ would stand in her way of finding her godfather. Evil beings plunder Middle Earth, and Lux-Vita would be damned if she'd allow anyone else to come within harm's reach toward her father-figure.

It was time to see how those dwarves were doing and seek aid from a certain meddlesome Wandering Wizard; a visit to Middle Earth was high on her schedule.

 **A/N:** **This was more of a filling chapter, dear readers. I am sorry if anyone found it a bit boring, but I had to build a story line for her return to Middle Earth AND her life after she returned.**

 **Next chapter we will be seeing Thorin and our favorite Tolkien characters! XD**

 **Tell me … should I have Sirius dead? Or do I keep him alive? I have the storyline plotted for both accounts, so let me know.**

 **R &R.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 11:**

A fortnight had gone by ever since the young girl from the Race of Men, Lux-Vita, disappeared from their midst into her world and the elf-witch allowed them a gander into the poor child's hardships. It took a mere week for the guilt-ridden dwarves to move onwards from their iniquity actions and settle firmly on contrition; all thoughts of Lux-Vita had been eviscerated from the recess of their minds as they continued journeying the dark, perilous and murky path to Erebor.

From the individuals of Thorin Oakenshield's Company, only Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Balin, Bombur, Bifur, Bofur and Bilbo were plagued about the well-being of the girl and the misconduct behavior their fellow dwarves impaled upon her, a young girl who hadn't yet achieved adolescence weighed down by heavy burdens and the crude horror of life and death. The five dwarves and lone hobbit would find themselves adrift in turmoil reflections of the poor girl, wondering if they would ever cross paths again, and if she managed to locate peace in her realm now that she was apart from their harsh, judgmental companions and their biting words.

A serendipitous night after the girl's horrifying departure, Balin found himself keeping watch over their campsite while the Company evenly slept, and by chance, Tharkûn happened to be conscious. It was as though the meandering wizard knew the wizened dwarf was in desperate need for reassurance, and whenever Balin found himself to be burdened with worriment thoughts of the anguished girl, he would recall Tharkûn's words of wisdom.

" _Do not fret over dear Lux-Vita, Balin, for she is currently at peace, surrounded by her loved ones. We have not seen the last of our mystified witch, and when she rejoins the quest, her heart and soul shall be sufficiently healed."_

Sitting around the campfire, waiting patiently for Bombur who was presently preparing soup for the Company's dinner, Balin son of Fundin rehashed the words Tharkûn parted of the young girl's Fate for the umpteenth time, and was interrupted from his deep musing when their Burglar piped up in a worried nuance, "He's been gone a long time."

Extracting the pipe from his mouth, Bofur raised an eyebrow curiously, and obliviously asked, " _Who_?"

" _Gandalf_ ," Bilbo stated in an obvious tone; Balin smiled grimly at the lone hobbit, their Burglar seemed extremely attached to the Wandering Wizard, and truth be told, Tharkûn was a beacon of hope to Thorin Oakenshield's Company in regards to the perilous journey that lay ahead, and in addition to their bleak quest.

Bofur waved a hand dismissively, seemingly unconcerned with the Wizard's abrupt departure, "He's a wizard! He does as he chooses."

Bilbo bit his lower lip in a mixture of frustration and exasperation; the leader of their Company, Thorin, managed to aggravate the wizened wizard yet again. Even with Lux-Vita gone, the uncrowned King managed to butt heads with Gandalf, this time however, Bilbo knew not the exact reason. All the lone hobbit managed to deduce was that the location they had currently stopped to rest was ostensibly unsafe. According to Gandalf, a farmer and his family used to inhabit this particular land in the dilapidated shack they were currently resting nearby.

A heated argument occurred, and Gandalf stalked away in a flurry of robes, his wizened face furrowed in palpable anger, and when Bilbo cried out after his departing back, "Where are you going?" The retort was abrasive and fueled with tempest, "To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense."

"Who's that?" Bilbo's small face morphed into alarm before transforming into shock at hearing the crisp reply, "Myself, Mr. Baggins. I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

In all honesty, Bilbo didn't blame the Grey Wizard in the slightest. It was a very well-known fact to all Races, that Dwarves were extremely stubborn and pigheaded; Bilbo was oblivious to the truth of that statement, dismissing it as bigotry or such, until he left his hobbit-hole for the suicidal quest. At times, the lone hobbit rather wished he could take a short break from their suffocating presence, but alas, he was not well equipped to separate himself from their intimidating protection, unlike the wizard. In the fortnight of Lux-Vita's departure, Bilbo found himself envious of the tormented girl, craving the return to his peaceful abode.

He wouldn't mind being tormented by the insufferable ranting of Lobelia Sackville-Baggins if it meant he could return to the Shire.

A small pat on his back awakened him suddenly from his reverie, and he met the mischievous brown orbs of Bofur, the lines around his eyes crinkling in a smile. Too lost in his own thoughts, Bilbo didn't realize that the jovial toymaker had been addressing him. "Uh, I'm sorry. I was- I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

Chuckling with mirth, Bofur handed over two bowls filled with Bombur's delicious soup, "You don't mind doing us the favor by giving these to the lads, do you?"

"N-No, of course, of course not," Bilbo gave him a genuine smile, rapidly taking the offered bowls into his tiny hands and scuttling passed an unimpressed Thorin who grunted in disapproval, probably still fuming over his presence and hoping that he too, would disappear like poor Lux-Vita, who he had been _ultimately_ cruel to.

Upon reaching the two young dwarves that, like Bofur, were the most likable ones, Bilbo took note of the identical looks of consternation on their mien, their eyes roaming around their environs desperately.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo unconsciously whispered in a hush.

Fidgeting slightly, Kíli grimaced, "We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies."

"Only we've encountered a _slight_ problem," Fíli continued, letting out a strangled chuckle that lacked any humor, "We had sixteen. Now there's fourteen."

In a unified, instinctive motion, the three of them scoped the premises, taking note that – yes – two ponies were in fact, missing.

Bilbo rapidly shook his head in an action that greatly resembled a mangy dog after a bath; _slight problem? SLIGHT PROBLEM indeed! It was a CONSIDERABLE problem, one that would have them gutted by Thorin once informed_ , thought Bilbo, and he pitied the young nephews. He didn't envy their quandary, not the least bit.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," Kíli spoke up, stating the obvious.

Letting his previous thoughts be known, Bilbo fretfully stammered, "Well, that's… _not_ good. That's not good, _at all_. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?" The instant those words tumbled out of his mouth, the hobbit winced at his suggestion; it was quite obvious that the Princes would rather keep Thorin in the dark, lest they suffer his wrath due to their carelessness.

Simultaneously, the brother's shook their heads, both of them sporting wide eyes.

"Uhh, no. Let's not worry him," Fíli slowly spoke up; sapphire blue eyes cognizant to Thorin's except for the lack of ice, stared down at Bilbo with warmth, desperation and uncertainty, "As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it."

Bobbing his head immediately, Bilbo let out a sigh and tried to make himself useful. Fíli and Kíli had been immensely kind and friendly to him, treating him like an honorary dwarf, and spared absolutely no censure or disparaging remarks ever since they set out for the journey. The least the lone hobbit could do with his limited skills would be to aid them in their greatest time of need.

Looking around with his sharp vision, Bilbo noticed some trees had recently been uprooted, the torn chunks lay heedlessly on the ground; scattered. It was unanimously obvious that someone or some _thing_ with a strong caliber ripped them apart. "Well, uh … _look_ , something big uprooted these trees," Bilbo revealed.

Kíli instantly nodded his head in agreement, "That was our thinking."

"Something _very_ big, and possibly quite, dangerous," Bilbo gulped once done with his report. But Fíli wasn't concentrating, instead, his sapphire orbs were focused on the flickering of light some distance away from them, "Hey! There's a light. Over here!" once Kíli and Bilbo noticed the light, Fíli inaudibly motioned them to move forward, "Stay down."

With practiced ease, or in Bilbo's case, affinity, the three of them ran quietly through the forest toward it, hiding deftly behind a log upon realizing the source of light was coming from a roaring fire. Raucous laughter ensued, prompting them to recoil behind the log. Fíli and Kíli's mouth dropped down, eyes bulging in horror and a confused yet frightened Bilbo meekly asked, "What is it?"

"Trolls," Kíli hissed in distaste.

Bilbo gaped at the two brothers when they ran straight toward the fire, and asininely grabbed the two untouched and forgotten bowls of Bombur's soup, before he effortlessly ran after them. It was only once Bilbo reached the brothers that he finally noticed the two recently pilfered ponies, neighing and thrashing wildly under two of the three trolls' arm.

Fear engulfed the hobbit when he noticed that the two ponies were _not_ Daisy and Bungo, "He's got _Myrtle_ and _Minty_! I think they're going to eat them, we _have_ _to_ do something!"

Tactlessly, the brother's traded looks of agreement, and Kíli grimly smiled at the hobbit in a sheepish demeanor, "Yes, _you_ should. Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll _never_ see you."

Eyes wide, mouth agape, comprehension crawling into his veins at the hidden meaning, Bilbo fervently shook his head, "No, no, no …"

"It's perfectly safe!" Kíli continued, placing both hands on the hobbit's shoulder in support, "We'll be right behind you."

Fíli nodded, his smile equally grim, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl."

And they left. Bilbo's face was still frozen in shock and horror for a moment longer, before steely determination enveloped him and he squared his shoulders, repeating Fíli's parting words like a mantra under his breath. Like Kíli said, he was small, he _could do this_. There was nothing to fear. He would rescue the four ponies, and the Company would escape the vicinity, hopefully learning to listen next time to Gandalf's wise words filled with warnings.

There was _absolutely nothing_ to worry about. He _wouldn't_ get caught.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

 _Bebother and confusticate!_

Those words were currently swimming in Bilbo's head as he stared at the thirteen tied up dwarves by the trolls' feet near the fire. Dori, Nori, Ori, Bombur, Bofur, Bifur and Dwalin were tied on the spit, roasting over the fire, their faces sweltering due to the raging heat of the dancing embers, profusely red and eyes alight with fear. The others were placed in sacks, unable to use their limbs in protection and their large assortments of weapons were discarded on the ground, far away from their immobile bodies.

Bilbo cursed himself for his arrogance that led to him being caught. Kíli bravely intervened and a second later, Fíli charged from the bushes with the eleven dwarves close behind. Bilbo was dropped instantaneously and made a beeline to the tied up ponies, only succeeding in mortifying himself by getting caught. AGAIN.

William, Bert and Tom, such peculiarly normal names for such horrendous abominating creatures; trolls may be stupid, but they were smart enough to use their diminutive noggins by capturing Bilbo and using him as leverage. Thorin glared at Bilbo with incensed malice and rage before obeying the command and dropping his weapons, the twelve dwarves following their King's lead.

If their Burglar died, then the Arkenstone would be forever lost in the seas of gold and treasure, held hostage by Smaug, leaving Thorin at a stalemate. And _that_ was the reason – the _only_ reason, why he obeyed the abominations who were currently arguing over _how_ to cook them.

Thorin was abruptly snapped from his malicious thoughts when their Burglar made himself known, speaking up in a shrill voice that reeked of panic, " _Wait_! You are making a terrible mistake!" Thorin raised an eyebrow at the foolish Halfling whose face was furrowed in consternation.

"You can't reason with them, they're _half-wits_ ," Dori shrieked indignantly from the spit, his face turning a peculiar purple.

Bofur grunted and despite the fact that he was currently roasting over the fire, tried making light of the situation, "Half-wits? What does that make us?" _Typical Bofur_ , Thorin mused, rolling his eyes in annoyance, before they snapped toward the Halfling who had managed to make use of his two feet, despite being lodged tightly in the sack.

"I meant with the, uh, with the seasoning," Bilbo stated, hazel orbs staring imploringly at each of the trolls. One of the trolls, Bert, bent lower and screeched in a nasal voice, "What about the seasoning?"

"Yes, what about the seasoning… What in Mahal is our Burglar up to?" Kíli groaned lowly from his spot in front of Thorin whose eyes were focused intently on the Halfling.

"Well, have you _smelt_ them?" Bilbo said conspiratorially, "You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." Bilbo's words managed to prompt thunderous yelling from the dwarves who began bellowing 'traitor' at the top of their lungs

"I'll get you for this!" Dwalin roared from the spit, his onyx orbs glaring daggers at the cowed Halfling who curiously rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?" Tom inquired; Bert nudged him, interest peeked, "Shut up, let the flurgaburburrahobbit talk."

Bilbo's tiny face scrunched up in thought, weighing each word slowly, "Uh, the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-"

"Yes? Come on, tell us the secret," Bert impatiently shrieked.

"Um, yes, I'm telling you," Bilbo huffed, his brows knitted together in utmost concentration, "the secret … is to _skin them first_!" he yelled, prompting a tirade of objections from the dwarves as they began threatening the Halfling's life.

"Tom, get me the filleting knife," Bert excitedly threw out an arm.

Thorin growled lowly in his throat, glaring at the Halfling for his betrayal, and inwardly promising him bodily harm. The uncrowned King desperately prayed to Mahal for help, unbeknownst that aid had arrived mere moments ago in the form of somebody completely unexpected.

Perched on the tree, observing the events unfold was a slim figure, hiding deftly in the shadows. Plump, petal-shaped lips lifted up in a smirk, inwardly congratulating Bilbo for his brilliancy in attempting to delay the three morons. The hobbit underestimated his bravery at every turn, and the idiotic dwarves assisted; ethereal emerald orbs rolled aggressively in their sockets as the dwarves bellowed objections and retribution.

In all honesty, Bilbo should have been more creative and picked another suggestion instead of skinning them, but in his frantic and panicky state, the figure understood the effects of being under pressure. The dwarves should use their brains more often and recognize Bilbo's endeavor in stalling. The trolls were obviously under a restricted deadline, having heard them mutter worriedly about dawn not being far away; obviously the shrewd hobbit was the only one from the horde of dwarves who understood the meaning behind their words.

The figure couldn't remain hidden any longer once Bombur was swiftly picked up, dangling over William's revolting mouth, even though Bilbo managed to salvage the predicament by yelling in frantic tones, "Not that one, he's infected. He's got worms in his … tubes."

William dropped Bombur as though he had been burnt and courageously, Bilbo smoothly continued, "In fact, they all have it, they're all infested with parasites. It's a _terrible_ business. I wouldn't risk it, I _really_ wouldn't," he said conversationally as though they were simply talking about the weather.

"Parasites, did he say _parasites,"_ Óin bellowed, taking offense, and once again, ethereal emeralds rolled in their sockets … _the stupidity of dwarves._

Kíli's face flushed in indignation, and accusingly yelled, "We don't have parasites! _You_ have parasites!" Prompting the dwarves to bellow once again, yelling expletives loudly.

 _Finally_ , Thorin's icy eyes widened in recognition; _the Halfling has been trying to stall them the whole time_. He instantly kicked Kíli in the back, silencing them all, and like a domino effect, every dwarf rapidly changed their tune, admitting that they did, in fact, have parasites.

The figure giggled lowly upon hearing Óin yell out in a gloating tone, "I have parasites as big as my arm." Simultaneously, Kíli proudly stated, "Mine are the _biggest_ parasites, I've got _huge_ parasites!"

"We're riddled!" Dori exclaimed.

Tom growled and glared at the hobbit, "What would you have us do, then? _Let 'em all go_?"

"Well…" Bilbo trailed off in a suggestive tone.

Continuing with renewed fervor, Tom shrieked, "You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

" _Ferret_?" Bilbo bristled in deep offence, and the figure sighed, smirking morbidly.

"Time to save these damsels," the figure smirked, and without a second thought, pounced from the tree.

Thorin gaped in astonishing wonder at the figure that materialized from the tree, an opulent sword in hand, lunging toward Tom who happened to be the nearest. In a fluent motion, the figure sliced the back of Tom's knee, erupting a pained yell as he fell down with a loud thud. Not wasting the perfect opportunity, the figure slashed the sword in a horizontal motion, promptly decapitating Tom's head clean off his shoulder. The death of Bert and William's brother shook them from their stunned reverie and they bellowed, charging toward the slim figure that deftly dodged them, impressively jumping onto Tom's back and leaping high into the hair, landing on Bert's left shoulder, the sword impaled into his neck, its point sticking out of the other end.

Bert's eyes widened before turning glassy as he gurgled blood and fell down onto the ground beside the beheaded Tom; dead. The figure fell down with the second dead troll, and with practiced ease and caliber, viciously yanked the bloody sword out before turning swiftly to face the last troll, William, his face scrunched up into murderous rage.

The thirteen dwarves and lone hobbit were shocked to the core when instead of attacking William, a soft, melodious voice rang out from beneath the black, long, hooded cloak. A _feminine_ voice. "So, what's it gonna be, Troll? Either you walk away with your life fully intact, or join your brothers in a mutilated death?"

William responded by letting out a war cry and charging toward _her_. The hooded girl merely quipped in amusement, "Dead it is," and without further ado, swiftly ducked around his knees, holstered her sword and from her back, revealed archaic-looking double swords, swinging them horizontally on both legs, deep enough to amputate both limbs. With a pained growl, the legless William collided with the ground and the figure causally sauntered over to his head and decapitated it, killing him swiftly.

The vicinity was engulfed with an ambience of complete silence as the fourteen tied up individuals gaped at the hooded female in shock and reverent awe. However, it was Gandalf who broke the silence as he finally made his appearance known, a wide smile filled with pride on his visage as he ambled toward the hooded female.

"Ah, my dear, I was wondering when I would be seeing you again."

Under the hood, the figure tilted her head sideways, a musical laughter ringing out, "Omniscient as ever, Gandalf. Can't get anything past you, hmm?" Thorin's jaw dropped lower at the jesting conversation happening before his very eyes.

"What took you so long, old man?" the hooded female inquired in a light-hearted tone.

Gandalf's lips curved upward in a smug smirk, "I felt your timely arrival. Your presence made itself known to me. I decided to let you take care of the, ah, situation."

"You know this, _woman_ , Tharkûn?" Thorin demanded in suspicion, interrupting their teasing barbs.

Gandalf's eyes twinkled, a proverbial action to the hooded female, "Ah, Thorin. Yes, I know her, and so do you."

"WHAT?" every individual spluttered in shock, their eyes squinting at the hooded female as though trying to distinguish any feature that could not be seen from under the cloak.

In a meticulously slow action, the female lifted her dainty hands and lowered the hood of her cloak, eliciting loud gasps of ranging disbelief, recognizing the girl for who she truly was. Thorin's eyes roamed the girl's features in incredulity; long curly ruby red hair cascading down to her waist, almond shaped eyes, orbs the color of a vivid emerald, a straight-sloped nose, and prominent cheekbones, framed by a pale heart-shaped face. Rosy, plump, petal-shaped lips curved in a smile, an action that had never been seen before in the month she journeyed alongside them. The girl was breathtakingly stunning, almost, otherworldly in beauty.

Her smirk turned more pronounced as her emerald green orbs met the icy ones of the flabbergasted, King Under the Mountain. "A pleasure, I'm sure, to see you again, _your majesty_ ," she spoke up in a taunting tone. Gone was the shy, stuttering, meek and wounded girl, replaced by this foreign stranger who radiated smugness and overconfidence. Curiously, she lost her childish features, seemingly older in years.

"Well?" Dwalin gruffly bellowed from his place over the spit, "Are we done with the pleasantries? Or are you going to leave us hanging here?!"

Rolling her eyes, Lux-Vita unsheathed a wooden stick from out of nowhere, producing a torrent jet of water and extinguishing the flames, prompting shocked gasps to echo in the silent air. Together, Gandalf and Lux-Vita ambled toward each tied up dwarf and Bilbo, effectively untying them from the strong binds.

While the Company flurried around, donning on their garments and collecting their discarded weapons from the pile, Lux-Vita lounged lackadaisically, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and a look of complete disinterest on her mien.

From afar, Thorin narrowed his gaze on her, pondering over what his next course of action should be in regards to the seemingly different human girl. Gone was the weakling he baited and jeered; the deft swiftness she portrayed in eliminating _three_ mountain trolls in under a minute astounded him and the uncrowned King grudgingly appraised her. After witnessing the memory the elf-witch forced them to observe, shame engulfed Thorin and he regretted his deplorable treatment toward her. However, Thorin was a Durin, a prideful and stubborn dwarf, and he could never bring himself to apologize for his previous transgressions.

Oh, how he mocked her and insulted her, calling her a weakling repeatedly and adamantly exclaiming that she would only slow them down in their journey to Erebor. Yet here she stood, strong and proud, after _saving_ their lives. Thorin was confused, and when he was confused, Thorin acted rashly and so, he hid all his gratitude and confusion behind an iron mask and stalked toward her in heavy footsteps. Once he stood directly in front of her, he felt rage consume him at the palpable look of disinterest she gave him.

"Why did you return?" he gruffly demanded; Gandalf, Bilbo and the remaining dwarves slowly approached them, circling the girl and the King, curiously awaiting her response.

Sighing aloud, Lux-Vita pushed herself from the tree that was previously supporting her weight and glanced blankly at Thorin, "I sensed you were in danger."

Curiously, Gandalf spoke up before Thorin managed to put his foot in his mouth again, "What do you mean, dear child?"

"Well, don't look at me like that. There I was, minding my own business, trying to discover what Draco bloody Malfoy was doing since he disappeared from the Marauder's Map, and the next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pang in my chest," her nose scrunched up in thought, and Thorin would never admit out loud that he found the action to be adorable. "It was sort of a consuming sensation that flooded the essence of my mind, and I heard you yelling as though you were all whispering in my ear. I knew you were in danger and so, I concentrated on your location, and _voilà_. Here I am."

"Voilà? What does that mea-"

"Bofur now isn't the time," Thorin growled briskly, piercing Lux-Vita with a stern gaze of mistrust, "After our mistreatment toward you, why would you travel between realms to aid us?"

"Uh, because I'm a good person, _duh_ ," Lux-Vita snorted, arousing confusion in the Middle-Earth-ians due to her odd terminologies. " _Look_ , I have a duty as Keeper of the Realms, which bases _you all_ solely under _my_ protection. I would never allow my own personal thoughts about you or vendettas to cloud my vision and allow you to die. I'm not that kind of person."

"Lass," Balin spoke up gently, prompting a genial smile from Lux-Vita, "Do you mind explaining how you look older? When we last saw you a fortnight ago, you seemed younger."

" _Two weeks_?" Lux-Vita cocked an eyebrow, inhaling in a sharp intake of breath, "In my Realm, I haven't seen you in two years. Personally, it was eight howe-"

"Eight?" Gandalf barked out in shock; the dwarves began muttering and mumbling loudly at her words, staring agape at the girl.

Lux-Vita nodded sharply, "When Lady Galadriel aided me in retuning to Earth, my go-godfather," she choked up slightly, but adamantly continued, leaving no room for questions, "And my Headmaster decided I was in need of training due to the arduous events that shall be taking place in my future and due to my role as Keeper of the Realms. Sirius accompanied me to Japan – a country – and had me study in a time-chamber for six years which in regular time would be three months. Therefore, I haven't seen you in eight years, and I am sixteen now."

Although they were all confused, they managed to surprisingly understand Lux-Vita's peculiar terminology.

"Who is this … Draco bloody Malfoo?" Fíli enquired curiously, prompting a humorous snort from Lux-Vita; emerald eyes glittered with mirth, "Draco _Malfoy_ is a prat. My nemesis. We've had a rivalry ever since I began my education at Hogwarts. _Bloody bastard_ ," she mumbled under her breath, but they all heard her loud and clear, and although most of the individuals laughed, a scandalized Dori blanched and yelled, "Language, lassie. Oh my, you are a Lady! And a Lady should never speak with such vulgarity."

There was a collective rolling of several pairs of eyes, and they all ignored the clucking mother-hen, Dori.

"So will you be journeying with us, Lux-Vita?" Gandalf enquired, a satisfied smile appearing on his visage. Thorin desperately wanted to rebut Gandalf's words, but he couldn't bring himself to disagree; the girl's magic and deftness in killing three trolls by her lonesome was incredibly outstanding and, though he hated to admit, she would prove to be extremely helpful now that she was not lingering in depression.

Lux-Vita sighed, and dragged a weary hand through her ruby locks, and for the first time, they all took note of her haunted eyes, she looked conflicted and in turmoil, "For a while Gandalf. Now that I know time passes differently, I could risk staying for a while longer. When I was here for a month, two hours passed in Earth."

"Is everything alright?" Kíli hesitantly asked; Thorin gritted his teeth at the palpable concern seeping into his nephew's tone. It didn't escape the uncrowned King of the enthusiastic looks on his nephews' faces once she made her arrival known.

"No," Lux-Vita regrettably retorted, "There is a war in my Realm, my country to be specific. I am greatly needed there, which is why I won't accompany you for long." Gasps reverberated in the air, but Lux-Vita ignored them and snapped her intense orbs to face Gandalf, "However, I have been meaning to visit Middle Earth, I have business of the highest importance, and frankly, takes prominence in my agenda."

Gandalf raised both brows in surprise, and once again, spoke up before Thorin could, "And _what_ sort of business do you seek in this Realm, dear child?"

Every individual noticed the tangible anguish on her visage, all cockiness diminished to be replaced by tormented pain, sorrow and desperation, one cognizant to the memory they had witnessed when the Dark Lord murdered her fiancé in the blink of an eye.

"At the end of my fifth year – last year," she clarified, "I was tricked by Voldemort into leaving the safety of my school, thinking he held my godf- my godfather, hostage. My friends accompanied me to the Ministry – a place of government of the Magical Community," she explained rapidly, "And we found ourselves surrounded by twelve of Voldemort's most ruthless Death Eaters – they're followers that abide his bidding. My godfather and a few other adults meant to protect me arrived toward the end of the battle and … _Bellatrix_ ," she snarled the name with such vicious malice, that even Thorin recoiled, "Cast a spell on him, throwing him into the Veil of Death. My mentor, Albus Dumbledore, informed me that my god- that Sirius might be alive, and that the Veil was probably a portal to this Realm. If not, then he's …dead."

"And?" Glóin gruffly asked; he spoke roughly, but it was visibly obvious that the abrasive dwarf felt remorse over his misbehavior toward her, the lines on his face drawn softly as he stared at her.

Sucking in a sharp intake of air, Lux-Vita stared vulnerably at Gandalf, " _And_ , I need your help." She placed a hand into a beaded bag, shocking them all to the core when her whole arm disappeared inside, pulling out a folded parchment and handing it over to Gandalf. His eyes widened impressively at the small moving portrait of an aristocratic handsome man with piercing grey stormy eyes who looked deeply emaciated and gaunt. "That is my godfather, Sirius Black. I would appreciate it if you could be on the lookout for him. I won't get my hopes up, but if there is any chance that he is in fact alive and in Middle Earth, I need you to protect him for me if I am not around."

Gandalf pocketed the picture and nodded instantly, "I vow to you that I would do my best to locate your godfather and have him safe under my protection."

"Thank you," Lux-Vita breathed out, a myriad of emotions seeping into her tone as she blinked away heartfelt tears.

 **A/N:** **Lux-Vita is back in Middle Earth! YAY! Thorin, Bilbo and the Company, too!**

 **Is Sirius in Middle Earth? We'll have to wait and see! XD**

 **Next, the Company would check out the Troll Cave and a few relationships build with the changed Lux-Vita (I told you she won't be depressed for long – eight years may have passed, but she isn't over Cedric, Sirius and being defiled by Voldemort, but she managed to move on and bury her hurt).**

 **ALSO! In Chapter 6, I left a note; the distance to Erebor will be different. In the movie, Thorin and Company met Radagast after checking the troll cave, and then they were ambushed by orcs and fled to Rivendell. My story will be different! A few weeks or maybe a month would pass before escaping to Rivendell.**

 **R &R.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 12:**

Twinkling gray orbs scrutinized the massacre left behind by the enigmatic witch with unveiled interest and no small amount of trepidation; a fortnight ago, if one inquired after the meek, depressed human girl, the Gray Wanderer would have responded with a plethora of depictions in regards to her personae, but never would the omnipresent wizened wizard claim Lux-Vita to have an affinity for butchery.

After the infuriated wizard chose to segregate himself from the horde of dwarves, particularly, a stubborn dwarf from the Line of Durin, Gandalf ambled over to an isolated section away from the ominous, decrepit shack and lounged on a lone boulder, unwinding himself from his irritated disposition. Retreating into the recess of his mind and meditating with the aid of the silent ambience and seductive, calm breeze, his moment of tranquility was suddenly interrupted by the familiar diaphanous articulation of the revered Lady Galadriel. The all-knowing elleth jubilantly imparted the Keeper of the Realms arrival in timely fashion due to the Company landing themselves in a perilous situation. With a surprising agility for one of his age, Gandalf made haste toward the deserted campsite and stealthily loitered in close proximity of the dim-witted trolls where he remained hidden; watching with incredulous awe as Lux-Vita deftly slaughtered them with quick and expert ease in just under a minute.

Detaching his orbs from the mutilated corpses, they twinkled merrily at the endearing sight of Lux-Vita laughing boisterously, surrounded by Fíli, Kíli, Ori and Bilbo, the four striplings from Thorin Oakenshield's Company, all of whom portrayed the most propinquity to the former stuttering and _alleged_ weakling from the Race of Men. _Yes, Lady Galadriel assumed correctly; Lux-Vita's soul has indeed healed sufficiently, which is why the urgency in locating her godfather must take priority alongside their lengthy journey to Erebor, preferably unscathed._

Sensing Thorin approaching from behind, Gandalf thumped one of the decapitated troll heads with his staff, unable to withstand the gloating smile from appearing on his visage due to the cantankerous expression radiating from the uncrowned King. Thorin crossed his arms against his chest, disregarding the carnage surrounding him as his icy eyes pierced the smug wizard, "Where did you go, if I may ask?"

"To look ahead," was the simple response given; Thorin rolled his eyes – _Tharkûn and his riddles_ , "What brought you back?"

The wizened face morphed into a humorous smirk and he cheekily instigated eye-contact with the grouchy dwarf, "Looking behind. _Nasty_ business. _Still,_ you are in one piece," and Thorin didn't fail to notice the fond look directed at the vibrant redhead who was currently listening to the Halfling's hushed diatribe, consuming him with an alien emotion, and he couldn't repress the biting remark, "No thanks to your burglar!"

Two sets of graying bushy eyebrows rose impressively, "He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that," the wizard chided softly, ensuring his words remained only for the stubborn uncrowned King's ears, "I thought perhaps you may have learnt your lesson by now to not judge a person rashly." The hidden implication was loud and clear as Thorin growled lowly in his throat, his glacier orbs immediately searching for and connecting with the enigmatic form of the human girl, but despite the growl of annoyance, Thorin did indeed look repentant and just as emeralds shone at him, he snapped his gaze away and back to Gandalf who looked peculiarly amused. Deciding to cut the penitent dwarf some slack, Gandalf returned to examining the massacre by his feet, "They must have come from the Ettenmoors."

Grateful for the rapid change of subject, Thorin sent Gandalf a baffled glance, "Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?"

"Not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands," Gandalf ominously replied, the nuance of his voice lowering into a whisper, and both dwarf and wizard shared meaningful stares. "They could not have moved in daylight," he added, vigilant gray orbs instantly perusing the premises. Thorin perked up in cognizance, and he too began scouring their surroundings, stubbornly ignoring the melodious resonance of the human girl, "There must be a cave nearby. …Nori, Bofur, Glóin!" he suddenly barked out, and the three proclaimed dwarves immediately rose from where they had been lounging on the flourishing grass, "Come! Let us locate the troll horde."

Twenty tantalizing minutes later, the group of five successfully unearthed the troll horde by having their nose follow the putrid stench. Thorin was greatly impressed with the innumerable amount of treasure the trolls had been hoarding, and while he and Gandalf examined the miscellaneous weapons, Nori, Bofur and Glóin greedily pilfered the chests filled with gold and ornate trinkets in between coughs and retches, their eyes watering due to the overpowering pungence. In the midst of his exploring, Thorin halted in his footsteps as his eyes settled onto two magnificent swords completely covered in cobwebs, and was unable to hide the awe from his tone once an inquisitive Gandalf approached him, "These swords were not made by any troll, Tharkûn."

Gandalf reverently accepted one of the offered swords and scrutinized its meticulous craftsmanship, "Nor were they made by any smith among men." He slowly drew the sword out of its sheath a few inches, a sharp intake of breath escaping his lips at his discovery, "They were _forged in Gondolin_ by the High Elves of the _First Age_." The wizened wizard however, found himself unable to suppress his eyes from rolling in exasperation once Thorin accordingly pushed the sword away as though he had been burned, a look of utter revulsion plastered on his handsome, aristocratic mien. Once again piercing the uncrowned King with his astute gray orbs, Gandalf fervently chastised him, "You could not wish for a _finer_ blade."

Unwillingly and begrudgingly, Thorin held onto the sword firmly until his knuckles whitened, and parroting Gandalf's previous action, drew out the sword from its sheath before nodding his head in resentful acceptance. The two of them ambled out of the cave and Thorin paused near the exit, a black eyebrow lifting as he regarded the three dwarves who were all kneeling on the ground and ransacking anything shiny from within arm's reach. "Let's get out of this foul place. Hurry along," Thorin grunted, deftly hiding his amusement.

"We're making a long term deposit," Glóin gruffly retorted, his dark eyes gleaming with greed.

Gandalf chuckled at their collective insatiability, "Leave them be, Thorin. Their pilfering may come of good use during the tiring journey. Come, Bombur is nearly done cooking breakfast, I believe it best if we rest for the remaining day."

Thorin's retort of not wanting to waste time was promptly cut off as the sound of uncontrollable melodious laughter permeated the air, combined with the rowdy guffaws of his kin and fellow dwarves; curious in regards to their source of laughter, and enraged that his Company was mucking around, the uncrowned King stomped over to the group congregated around the human girl, ignoring the meddlesome wizard's knowing smile. The human girl had _actually_ collapsed and was rolling on the ground, tears of mirth streaming down her ivory complexion, her cheeks rosy due to her continual laughter and her ringing giggles encompassing the group of dwarves and the Halfling, all of whom were laughing alongside her infectious laughter – all but Fíli whose head was ducked sheepishly, his lips pressed in a mulish line.

As Thorin drew nearer to them, he heard the human girl choke out through strings of laughter, "Hoot twice … like a … barn owl … once like … a brown owl. Priceless! O-oh, F-Fíli!" and she resumed her childish laughter until he stood directly in front of her with a stern visage, an eyebrow cocked up in unamusement, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Actually yeah, you are," Lux-Vita replied letting out a few last giggles and wiping the tears from her face. But to Thorin's chagrin, the human barely spared him a glance as she focused her complete attention on his mulish nephew, his icy eyes hardening like steel when she interlaced her hands with Fíli's, "Oh, Fíli. What were you _thinking_? ' _If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl._ ' that's a shitty thing to say, completely unhelpful for poor Bilbo. A barn owl and a brown owl both hoot the same."

"Well, how would you know?" Fíli pouted, avoiding eye-contact with everyone, especially his brother's amused chocolate orbs and the pair of entrancing emerald green, yet he remained holding hands with her; for some perplexing reason, he felt safe and loved around the human girl who saved their lives despite three-quarters of the Company's ultimate cruelty toward her. Devoid speechless, the King under the Mountain stared intently at the human girl who held his nephew's hand with such intimacy, her cheeks growing very pink, and her eyes squeezed into little crescents of mirth, "I know, Fíli, because I am _constantly_ surrounded by owls since the age of eleven, and they all sound exactly the same, unless of course you are comparing a matured owl with a fledgling."

Thorin scoffed derisively, unwilling to believe her fabled tales of magic despite the fact that he had personally observed her produce a jet of water from that bizarre wooden stick.

Ori, ever the scholar suffering from a colossal thirst for knowledge, perked up in excitement, his soft eyes inquiring her kind yet haunted emeralds, "Why are you constantly surrounded by owls Lady Lux-Vita?" But at that precise moment, an elated Bombur announced in loud tones that breakfast was ready, and Nori, Bofur and Glóin immediately took a break from their insatiable pilfering and pounced.

"Mmhmm," Lux-Vita moaned, her reaction peculiarly prompting Thorin to shift uncomfortably from his spot between Balin and Dwalin, a large distance away from the human girl who was famous amongst his Company as they all unconsciously gravitated toward her, "Bombur, you'd give the house-elves a run for their money back in my Realm. Scrumptious as always," she kindly complimented the rotund chef, eliciting a bashful smile in return and a stammered thanks. Thorin however, ignored his unease as a certain word grabbed his attention and he barked out, "House-elves? Those pointy-eared fiends exist in your Realm as well?!" and try as he may, Thorin was vehemently perplexed when her brows furrowed together in disapproval; he did however, comprehend Gandalf's silent disappointing glare.

Settling her cutlery into the bowl with a soft clang, Lux-Vita lightly bit her plump lips between her pearly front teeth, pondering for an easy way to explain the species of elves that exist in Earth; "If you are referring to elves such as Lady Galadriel, then no. No, their kind does not exist in Earth. _House_ -elves are not immortal, nor are they majestic with flawless, perpetual beauty; they are short, bald and skinny and basically, to put it bluntly, fucking ugly-"

" _Language_! Oh my-, such uncouth language for a Lady," Dori began hyperventilating, interjecting Lux-Vita's explanation and provoking every individual in the vicinity to roll their eyes and communally exhale annoyed breaths until Nori finally elbowed his brother to shut up. Once Dori ceased his henpecking, Lux-Vita smoothly carried on where she had left off, "Right, so… uh, house-elves are magical creatures immensely devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master. They are bound by magic to serve their wizarding family, which in turn strengthens their own brand of potent wandless magic."

The dwarves all erupted into fits of raucous laughter, and Glóin gruffly spoke in a mocking voice, "Those proud tree-shaggers look down upon us when they are considered to be nothing but dirt in her Realm. Serves them right!"

"HEY!" Lux-Vita yelled, her emerald orbs smoldering with apoplectic anger, " _You think it's funny_?! It isn't a laughing matter. I don't know what your deal is regarding Elves, but I despise bigotry. I already have enough of that in my world! Yes, house-elves are deemed to be lowly slaves in my Realm, but they are powerful and underappreciated. They are forced into obedience and cruel treatment. The elves that are enslaved by a dark household are terribly abused." Her words succeeded in quieting down the malicious laughter, and once appeased by _most of_ the contrite miens staring back at her, Lux-Vita took a few calming breaths and continued in a softer tone, "When I was twelve, before I started my second year at Hogwarts, a supporter of Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, plotted a scheme to kill children, and his house-elf, Dobby began pestering me to not attend Hogwarts that year," nearly everyone paused from devouring their meal as they stared at her in rapt attention, "You see… Dobby was horrendously mistreated and urged by Mr. Malfoy to incessantly punish himself, yet the little blighter had a disturbing adoration toward me and found a loophole in his Master's orders and when he found his chance, came to me. He spent the whole school year trying to protect me – abysmally I might add," she snorted, recalling the blocking of the barrier and the damn rogue Bludger, "In the end of the year, I tricked Malfoy into liberating him. You see, house-elves can only be freed if they are given an article of clothing by their Master, even something as meager as a sock. Of course, Malfoy tried killing me and in turn Dobby protected me."

In a comical fashion, Kíli slowly raised a hand in the air, "So this Luscious Malfoo, is he related to that boy you mentioned earlier?"

Lux-Vita sniggered into the palm of her hand before grinning at the exuberant dwarf she felt a strong bond with, " _Lucius Malfoy_ , and yes, he is the father of my nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Mostly wizards belonging to an ancient, wealthy family has ownership over house-elves. My best friend, Ron, he comes from an ancient pureblooded family and has six siblings but his family is poor so they can't afford one, but I digress…"

"Seven?!" Balin whistled in awe, "Children are rare to us. Even Elves are unable to procreate as many children. Three is the maximum number; Bombur is one of the lucky ones."

The rotund dwarf beamed proudly as he slurped his stew, "My beloved Aniel is carrying our twelfth child." Lux-Vita clapped her hands in joy, "Wow, congratulations Bombur!"

"So, you're saying that elves are… _good_ in your Realm?" Ori asked hesitantly, not wanting to anger the elders due to their utter loathing of elves, especially the Woodland Elves. Lux-Vita's cheerful visage darkened in an instant and she spat out with such loathing, "No. Not all. _Kreacher_ for instance is the elf belonging to the Blacks, my godfather's family, and he betrayed him. Kreacher played a huge part in Siriu- in Sirius' probable death. I don't want to talk about it!" she snapped, effectively ending the subject as she busied herself with her meal, allowing the cacophony of chattering to wash over her as the dwarves slowly entertained each other with inane topics.

Gandalf suggested, more like insisted, that the Company take a reprieve from the perilous quest to Erebor and remain in the safety of the campsite now that the trolls were dealt with, and although Thorin vehemently argued his case, he was forced to agree once he chanced a glance at the weary and bedraggled dwarves. One by one, each dwarf succumbed to sleep despite the scorching sunlight, all but Gandalf and Thorin who stubbornly insisted on keeping watch, the excitement of the day eviscerating all remnants of sleep from the uncrowned King.

Lux-Vita leaned against a hollow tree with her arms crossed and although her eyes were aware, flickering onto each unconscious dwarf in the vicinity, her thoughts were miles away, erratically reliving the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the look of utter surprise on her godfather's handsome yet gaunt mien as he was forcibly banished into the Veil of Death, and the suspicious actions of Malfoy. Just as the ruby-haired witch was pondering over the time difference between Middle Earth and Earth, the sounds of a muffled voice permeated the air, successfully interrupting the hushed conversation between Thorin and Gandalf as they both snapped their attention toward her.

"Girl! What is that noise?" Thorin rudely demanded; instead of giving in to her desire of scolding the dwarf for his rudeness, Lux-Vita busied herself with trying to decipher where the peculiar sound was coming from, managing to slowly awaken a few of the light sleepers. Yawning widely, Fíli wearily pointed a finger toward the ground underneath her feet, "I think it's coming from your shoe, Lux-Vita." Gandalf chuckled at the lack of formality while Thorin scowled, unhappy with the intimacy between his nephews and the human girl.

"Oh shit!" Lux-Vita comically smacked her forehead and proceeded to magically engorge her beaded bag from her right sock, much to the dwarves' astonishment and the wizened wizard's amused curiosity. Ignoring the myriad of awakening dwarves, the ruby-haired witch immersed her whole hand into the bag and with a sound of triumph, plucked out a medium-sized compact mirror. Thorin stared in wonder as the human girl's face lit up like the sun, the haunted quality in her emerald orbs diminishing slightly as she ecstatically shouted, " _Ron_?! Holy crap, I can't believe this thing works between Realms!"

And to the Middle-Earthians palpable shock, a masculine voice echoed around them _from inside the mirror!_

"Bloody hell, neither did I, but Mione insisted we give it a try," the voice –Ron, breathed out in awe; simultaneously, a bossy feminine voice echoed around them, "Oh, Lux, thank Merlin it worked. How are you? Is everything okay there? Are they giving you any trouble? I swear, I'll go to the library and find a way to transport myself down there and give them a piece of my mind. Oh, Lux, tell me, how's everything, and –"

"Woah! Mione calm down, take a small breather," Lux-Vita laughed, her smile threatening to split her face in two as her eyes met the familiar faces of her best friends, "I miss you guys. But it's barely been a day here. Why are you guys calling… did anything happen?" None of the dwarves could mistake the sound of authority in her voice, and it was utterly clear to them that the human girl had leadership qualities.

Fíli, Kíli and Ori managed to snap their gaping jaws shut, and Kíli, ever the curious lad, excitedly blurted out, "Lux-Vita, how did you manage to get your mirror to talk back?"

"Who's that? Oh, Lux, you aren't alone, are you?" Hermione asked sheepishly. With a quick roll of her eyes, Lux-Vita dryly retorted, "Now, what gave you that idea?"

"Blimey Hermione, it was kind of obvious. And they call you the smartest witch of our generation… well, you and Lux, that is," Ron quipped. The ruby-haired witch began banging her head lightly against the tree as her two best friends began arguing _again_ , their angry voices permeating the air. Deciding on an effective way to shut them up, Lux-Vita whipped the mirror around to face the astonished, speechless dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf, and said, "Ron, Hermione, say hello!" In the blink of an eye, they snapped their mouths shut, eyes widening at the gaping group in front of them and they both mumbled out a stifled greeting.

"And who are these two enchanting young individuals, Lux-Vita?" Gandalf smiled benignly, the only one who had managed to gain usage over his voice chord. Beaming, Lux-Vita proudly introduced them, "These are the best friends a girl can have. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. You two, that is Gandalf the Gray, one of the five wizards in Middle Earth."

"Bloody hell. You were right, Lux, he _does_ look like Dumbledore. Is he also off his rockers?" Ron tactlessly asked, eliciting a scolding from Hermione, "Ronald! You can't just say things like that! Dumbledore is the most respectable and powerful wizard in the century!"

"So bloody what? He's still off his rocker, ain't he?!" Ron retorted, prompting Fíli and Kíli to burst out into uproarious laughter, especially once they witnessed the baffled look on Gandalf's face. Lux-Vita dragged a hand into her thick hair and shrugged, "Sorry about them Gandalf. Ron lacks a mouth filter and has no tact whatsoever."

"Oi!" Ron yelled out in offense.

" _Girl_!" Thorin bellowed once he recovered from his shock, "What is this magic?"

Hermione bristled from within the mirror and focused her whiskey-colored orbs intently on Thorin, "Watch it! I don't care who you think you are, but you do not get to talk to Lux with such disrespect! She has a name, _use it!_ King or not, how do you expect people to respect you if you show no respect to them!?"

Tension filled the air at Hermione's harsh yet veritable words and Lux-Vita quickly interceded before a heated debacle could break out, "Woah, Mione chill, I can handle him; you know I'm not some damsel in distress. Now, why did you call me? Is everything okay at Hogwarts?"

Groaning in annoyance, Ron took charge of the situation since Hermione was still bristling over Thorin's obnoxious attitude, "We did like you asked, Lux. Mione and I checked the Map for Malfoy, but that ferret disappeared like you said. We can't locate his name anywhere."

"Seriously? You cannot just disappear off the Marauders Map, and there's no bloody way in hell Malfoy snuck out of the castle," Lux-Vita whined, smacking her hand hard on the ground, and Thorin noticed how her emerald orbs were blazing with fury and confusion. The Company all sidled to her side, too curious for their own good as they tried peeking into the mirror.

Ron shrugged from within the mirror, "Maybe he disapparated-"

"You _cannot_ apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts! How many times must we tell you!" both Lux-Vita and Hermione snapped in unison, exasperation seeping into their tone, and a few dwarves laughed while Gandalf chuckled as Ron quickly retorted, "Blimey, I forgot, cut me some slack."

Huffing at Ron, Hermione gave him the stink-eye before staring softly at Lux-Vita, "Look, Lux, I think we should put pause on stalking Malfoy. You're getting obsessed. Ever since we followed Malfoy into Borgin and Burkes you've been obsessing over him, it's unhealthy."

Lux-Vita glared at her best friend, "I'm telling you Hermione, something isn't right with Malfoy. I'd bet my Firebolt he's a Death Eater-, don't look at me like that Ron-"

"Lux, Malfoy a Death Eater. He's an idiot, an arrogant, slimy git. No way would You-Know-Who brand him with the Dark Mark," Ron cynically shook his head.

Thorin and his Company were all absorbed in the conversation taking place, despite the uncrowned King's irritation with the human girl and her bizarre artifacts, he couldn't contain his insatiable curiosity and he was captivated by the apoplectic anger visible on her beautiful features in response to the human boy's words. Clenching her fists, Lux-Vita snapped, "You know what? _Fine!_ Don't believe me; no bloody way would Voldemort-"

" _Don't say his name_!" Ron hissed in fright.

"-Would _VOLDEMORT_ ," Lux-Vita yelled, ignoring Ron's violent flinch, "Leave the Malfoys scot-free, especially after the events that happened end of last year. Mark my words; now that Lucius Malfoy is rotting in a cell in Azkaban, Draco is taking his place. And I'll prove it to you!"

Hermione sighed dolefully as though she feared for Lux-Vita's sanity, "Lux you're in another Realm, and unless you can tail Malfoy twenty-four seven around the castl… what? I know that look, Lux? What are you planning?" Hermione's voice turned shrilly as she stared warily at the redhead; Lux-Vita honestly couldn't blame her, most of her ideas tended to gravitate toward the dangerous side and proved more harm than good. But she was too excited to eloquently give her bookworm friend a response and so, she hurriedly chirped out, "Brilliant! You Hermione Jean Granger are brilliant! Oh, I could kiss you! I'll talk to you guys later, Ciao!" and she stuffed the mirror back into her beaded bag, ignoring Ron and Hermione's words of caution.

"My dear, could you perhaps explain to us what currently happened?" Gandalf inquired, his gray orbs scrutinizing her as though she were an insect he was itching to dissect and examine. But the vivacious redhead merely shook her head rapidly, "No time to exp-"

"I demand you include us, girl!" Thorin boomed, he hated being kept in the dark, and this human was an enigma to him. Thorin despised it when he was confused, and this girl was adamant in angering him.

"Uncle," Fíli wearily uttered, but the damage was already done, for Lux-Vita glared at him, her emeralds resembling the fiery pits of hell, "You _demand_. You DEMAND? Well, I _demand_ you to shut the bloody hell up. I'm not one of your people, I don't bow down to you! I will _never_ bow down to anyone. You may be a King, but you are not _my_ King. So when I bloody tell you to wait, WAIT!" and without giving the incensed King under the Mountain a chance to retort, she called out in an authoritative, articulate tone, "Kreacher!"

A beat of silence ensued around the congregated group when suddenly, there was a very loud _crack_ followed by the sounds of scuffling and squeaks invading the tension-filled premises. All but Thorin and Gandalf yelped loudly, jumping onto their feet and withdrawing their weapons at the two abnormal creatures that appeared out of thin air and into their midst. One short figure was donned in a shrunken maroon jumper with several woolly hats perched on its bald head, while the other was dressed in a filthy old rag strung over its hips like a loincloth – both of them were rolling on the ground and throttling one another while throwing in a few punches.

"Mahal! What are they?" Balin gasped out; simultaneously, Thorin barked out demandingly, "Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!" while swinging his recently attained sword above his head in a combat stance. Lux-Vita was immediately startled into action, lest the paranoid dwarf managed to decapitate the two house-elves heads clean off their necks. She stood in front of the still scuffling elves in a protective stance and extended her arms wide out, glaring at Thorin in annoyance, "Jesus Christ! Hold your horses. You could seriously give Mad-Eye Moody a run for his money with your paranoia! Put your weapons down!" With a menacing glare, Thorin slowly dropped his sword, yet kept it unsheathed; sufficiently pleased, Lux-Vita focused her attention on Kreacher and Dobby, her words going unheard as they began using their words instead of their tiny fists.

"Kreacher will not insult Lux-Vita Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!" Dobby cried in a high-pitched voice and while it caused a few of the Company to wince, most of them finally understood the gist of the two abnormal creatures scuffle and began smirking at the exasperated human girl.

Kreacher glared maliciously at Dobby and retorted in a hoarse shrill cry, "Kreacher will say what he likes about his mistress, oh yes, and what a mistress she is, filthy friend of Mudbloods, oh, what would poor Kreacher's mistress say -?" Exactly what Kreacher's poor anonymous mistress would have said, the audience were unable to find out, for at that moment, Dobby sank his knobbly little fist into Kreacher's mouth and knocked out half his teeth, prompting the dwarves to yell out in a mixture of surprise and excitement.

"Woah! Woah! That's enough! ENOUGH!" Lux-Vita screamed as they began brawling again. Sending a pleading glance at the Company, Kíli smirked, his mirthful eyes gleaming as he acquiesced to her silent plea. Lux-Vita wrenched the two elves apart and firmly grabbed Kreacher by his filthy rag while Fíli and Kíli joyfully kept a hold on each of Dobby's wiry arm. Despite the fact that they were no longer having skin contact, the two incensed house-elves continued to try and kick and punch each other, contacting nothing but thin air.

Twisting Kreacher's wizened arm into a half-nelson, Lux-Vita, with as much authority as possible, yelled, "STOP FIGHTING!"

In a perfect replica of a puppet with its strings cut off, Kreacher became immobile and half-collapsed onto the ground. Gruffly, Dwalin stated, "I'm assuming these are house-elves you previously mentioned."

"That's Dobby! The one you told us about," Bofur grinned, prompting Lux-Vita to groan loudly as Dobby's giant tennis ball orbs stared adoringly at her, "The great Lux-Vita Potter spoke of Dobby?" and began bawling at the top of his lungs, bewildering Thorin Oakenshield and Company. Five minutes later, once Dobby managed to calm down, Lux-Vita squared her shoulders and addressed the two elves as though they were misbehaving toddlers, "Right. I'm _forbidding_ you to fight each other!" eliciting many raised eyebrows due to her commanding tone. "Well, Kreacher _you're_ forbidden to fight Dobby. Dobby, I know I'm not allowed to give you orders –"

But Dobby quickly interjected, "Dobby is a free house-elf and he can obey anyone he likes. Dobby will do _whatever_ Lux-Vita Potter wants him to do!" Speechless at the complete devotion and reverence in the curious creature's tone, Thorin, Dwalin and Balin gaped at the tears streaming down the shriveled face and onto the maroon jumper.

"How did they manage to transport into Middle Earth?" Thorin barked out, trying to keep the demanding tone in his voice to a minimum, and going by the smiles on Gandalf and Balin's wizened miens, he succeeded. Scratching the nape of her neck, Lux-Vita pursed her lips together in thought, "Well, elves have a different brand of magic. I'm not that knowledgeable about it as most wizards never bothered to study them and how they differ from our magic, but they have a bond with me. If I call they answer, it's just how it works, I never questioned it before."

Kreacher's ugly face twisted into one of utter loathing, even as he sunk into a proper bow and croaked out, "Mistress called me?" Gandalf, Thorin, Balin, Fíli and Kíli frowned at the expression on his face when addressing the ruby-haired witch; it was as though he were wishing her a painful death. Lux-Vita noticed and aggressively rolled her eyes before piercing him with a look of paramount malice- after all, that backstabbing shit was the reason for Sirius' probable death.

"I did. I've got a job for you," her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion, prompting Thorin and Company to flinch violently while Gandalf glanced at her in disapproval, a reaction that Lux-Vita indignantly ignored.

"Kreacher will do whatever Mistress wants," Kreacher uttered, sinking so low that his lips almost touched his gnarled toes, "Because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is ashamed to have such a Mistress, yes –"

"Dobby will do it, Lux-Vita Potter!" Dobby interjected in his regular squeaky voice, tears still swimming in his huge orbs, "Dobby would be _honored_ to help Lux-Vita Potter!"

Lux-Vita beamed at her favorite elf, but sighed inwardly; Dobby's words would definitely get the dwarves curious. She knew that Lady Galadriel had them witness the memory of Voldemort's rebirth and her defilement – that coupled with Dobby's sycophantic words and she knew without a doubt that once the two elves retuned to Hogwarts, she would be bombarded with a plethora of nosy questions, or in Thorin's case, self-righteous demands. "Come to think of it, it would be good to have both of you. I want you to tail Draco Malfoy." It was comical really, how much her words had an effect on both house-elves, but she adamantly continued, "I want to know _where_ he's going, _who_ he's meeting, and _what_ he's doing. I want you to follow him around the clock – but of course take care of yourselves, I don't want you exhausting yourselves over this," she hastily added, knowing very well by now that Dobby would take her order to heart and kill himself over this mission.

"Yes, Lux-Vita Potter!" Dobby agreed at once, his huge orbs shining with exuberance, "And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Lux-Vita Potter!" A cacophony of perplexed and shocked mutterings erupted from the Company at Dobby's over-the-top words, and Thorin was astounded with the amount of power the human girl had, and the adoring respect the creature freely gave her, to the point of death.

Lux-Vita blanched visibly, her plump, petal-shaped lips forming a huge, perfectly sized 'O' and she hastily shook her head while flapping her hands hysterically, "There won't be _any_ need for that, Dobby. I don't want to hear that you've been harming yourself! I'm nothing like the Malfoys." Dobby burst out into tears of adoration once again, eliciting not only a weary groan from the ruby-haired witch, but ones of exasperation from the other spectators.

"Mistress wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys?" Kreacher slowly croaked out with a lethal glare, "Mistress wants me to spy upon the pureblood great-nephew of my old mistress?"

"This won't be good," Kíli muttered to Fíli, who nodded in vehement agreement, prompting their uncle to run a weary hand over his handsome visage; that human girl would be the death of him. Her blasphemous ways and drama were ensnaring his heirs into her web! And that will not do!

Lux-Vita narrowed her eyes until they turned into slits as she foresaw a great danger and was determined to prevent it in a heartbeat, knowing the sneaky elf and his underhanded methods, he would find a loophole. "That's the one, Draco bloody Malfoy, Kreacher! And you're _forbidden_ to tip him off or to show him what you're up to, or to talk to him _at all_ , or to write him messages, or to contact him in any way. If you think I'm going to allow you to betray me like you did Sirius, you're sorely mistaken. Got it?" her command was uttered frigidly, a warning clear in her tone and Gandalf finally comprehended the kind girl's perplexing attitude, and could not fault her – that was the house-elf she accidentally informed them of, the one who aided in her cherished godfather's downfall.

It was palpably clear to every individual that Kreacher was struggling to locate a loophole in Lux-Vita's instructions; the ruby-haired witch on the other hand, had her arms crossed patiently, a look of smug satisfaction on her gorgeous face. Finally, Kreacher bowed deeply in defeat and with bitter resentment, croaked, "Mistress thinks of everything, and Kreacher must obey her even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes…"

Lux-Vita sneered at the despicable creature, and to the Middle-Earthians, the expression didn't fit well with her kind and beautiful features. "Yes, how about you shut up and ask Dobby how tormenting it is to serve the Malfoys," she snapped with distaste before beaming benignly at Dobby, "That's settled then. I'll want regular reports, but make sure I'm not surrounded by people when you turn up. In this Realm it's alright, and if I'm back at Hogwarts, then only around Ron and Hermione. And don't tell _anyone_ what you're doing. Just stick to Malfoy like a couple of wart plasters."

A grunt of agreement was the only response given by Kreacher before he disappeared with a loud _crack_ , much to the Company and Gandalf's incredulous awe – for even Gandalf and the other four wizards in Middle Earth were incapable of vanishing into thin air. In contrast, Dobby squealed and raced over to Lux-Vita, his knobbly arms engulfing her knees in a tight grip. His wrinkled face tilted upwards and he squeaked, "Dobby will do as the great Lux-Vita Potter ordered. And if Lux-Vita Potter needs anything, then call Dobby and Dobby will appear at once, for you are the greatest and most honorable witch Dobby had the honor of meeting. Goodbye Lux-Vita Potter!" and with another loud _crack_ , the exuberant elf disappeared from Middle Earth, leaving a complete silence in his wake.

"Well," Lux-Vita innocently grinned, inching away from the fifteen gaping individuals, "That was a success. So, I'm just going to –"

"Tell us what in Mahal's name is happening! Yes you will," Thorin interjected impatiently; in response, the ruby-haired witch massaged her temples in torturously slow circles and groaned, "What do you want to know, _your Highness_ ," the scorn evident in her tone.

Knowing that Lux-Vita would only avoid giving up answers if Thorin continued to speak crudely with her, Gandalf cleared his throat, effectively ceasing Thorin's next words, and he softly spoke up, ensuring that he maintained eye-contact with the pair of wary emerald orbs, "My dear child, I understand you are cagey when it comes to sharing your story with others for we have already bullied ourselves into a matter of great privacy; the memory you allowed Lady Galadriel to share with myself and the Company. However, I assure you, we are to be trusted. After all, we are all journeying alongside each other and helping one another in our own quests. We will find ourselves at an impasse if we continue to keep each other at arm's length."

Wincing at the reminder of Cedric's death and being raped by Voldemort, Lux-Vita gave them a diminutive nod; other than Thorin, the Girl-Who-Lived had no grudge against any of them, and if the stubborn King under the Mountain would cease his incessant pestering and speaking down at her as though she were a lowly freak, especially the way he adamantly called her _girl_ , violently reminding her of Uncle Vernon, then Lux-Vita would have no ill-will with the prideful dwarf either. Moreover, they were to help her in locating Sirius if he indeed landed in Middle Earth, and trust could not be established if she withheld information.

"How about I rest for a while, and at night, during dinner, I answer all your inquiries to the best of my ability?" It was a fair proposal, and Lux-Vita let out a loud sigh of relief when Thorin grudgingly nodded in affirmative, allowing the tired witch to return to her spot under the hollow tree. Some of the dwarves returned to their interrupted nap, while others entertained each other with inane conversation or practiced with their weapons.

Lux-Vita however, was struck with a sudden brainwave thanks to Ron and Hermione, and before she allowed herself to succumb into a restless slumber, she once again pulled out her compact mirror from her beaded bag, and choked out, "Sirius Black!" in an articulate tone. One tormented minute later and nothing happened; "Padfoot?!" Lux-Vita tried again – but to no avail and finally, the sixteen-year-old witch allowed herself to give in to her emotions as she lay down onto the ground, curled into herself and clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, muffling her anguished cries.

Either Sirius really was dead, or he left the mirror at Grimmauld when he departed to the Ministry. But Lux-Vita knew, deep down inside, _she just knew_ … her treasured godfather would have never allowed the mirror to be out of his reach, not when Lux-Vita held the brother piece. And so, Lux-Vita cried herself to sleep over morbid thoughts of her godfather actually being dead, not knowing that a mulish uncrowned King's icy orbs hadn't once disconnected from her pitiful form, and in turn, a pair of shrewd gray orbs were focused intently on the abrasive King under the Mountain with a deep amount of interest and foreknowledge.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

"Sirius Black!"

Eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and a lithe figure swiveled his head around in search for the person whose melodious and desperate yell belonged to as it echoed around him. With his uncanny hearing, the lithe figure stealthily ambled toward the direction where he pinpointed the voice to have come from.

"Padfoot?!" the melodious voice cried, and the lithe figure felt his heart crumble in response to the agonizing grief palpable in the anonymous woman's tone. Nothing could be heard but the soothing sounds of the waterfall from nearby and finally, a triumphant gleam was visible in a pair of onyx orbs as they connected with an odd compact mirror that was facing the lush and fertile grass.

Cautiously, he picked up the circular artifact and scrutinized it with immense confusion; he could have sworn – with his impeccable hearing – that the feminine voice had erupted from this peculiar mirror.

"What an odd enchantment," the musical voice belonging to the lithe figure murmured beneath his breath.

Knowing that his Lord was intellectually knowledgeable in the intricacies of magic and priceless artifacts passed down throughout many a years, the lithe figure held the compact mirror close to his chest and he swiftly retreated towards his Lord's private library.

 **A/N:** **I hope you enjoyed this chapter?! XD**

 **First of all; this was more of a filler chapter. You see, I don't want to rush into things and jump from action to action. I want to slowly portray how Lux-Vita (Now that she isn't depressed and suicidal) becomes friends and formulates relationships with Thorin Oakenshield and Company. I'm sorry there weren't any Bilbo scenes, but next chapter for sure!**

 **I also wanted to somehow add Ron and Hermione into Middle Earth and the two-way mirror is an important factor to my plotline. Also! Kreacher and Dobby play an important role in the future chapters and I wanted to introduce them to the dwarves (I couldn't resist introducing the dwarves to a different species of their enemies, LOL).**

 **In my story, I don't want to separate Harry Potter Universe from Middle Earth. I will try and blend them in together somehow to make my story more exciting. So I am sorry if you don't like filler chapters and just want to rush into the action, but my plot doesn't work that way. Sorry again!**

 **Next chapter: Will Lux-Vita finally reveal a few personal facts about her history? And what happened to Sirius? Who picked up the mirror and why was it there without his body – wherever Sirius is? Why do Fíli and Kíli feel an intimate connection with Lux-Vita? And why on earth is Thorin so rude to Lux-Vita? ;) …Stay tuned, Dear Readers! There are many surprises on the way, and I will try and get the next chapter out soon! Cheers!**

 **R &R.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **A/N:** **I am so sorry for taking ages to update. To be honest, I lost my muse and although I had the entire plotline planned for this story, I got stuck with the mechanics of this chapter. Which is** _ **whyyy**_ **I would like to give a** _ **huge**_ **shout out to** **PrincessSerenity96** **, who, without her, I wouldn't have found the inspiration to post up this chapter. So thank you, because of you, I finally gained my muse back and I will start updating the next chapters in regular intervals! XD**

 **Chapter 13:**

The impulse to abandon Thorin Oakenshield and Company and materialize back into her Realm was a tantalizing notion. To just close her expressive emeralds, concentrate on the first place she ever considered to be her _true_ home, and vanish from Middle Earth, without anyone being none the wiser until it was simply too late… the mere idea beckoned her, like a compulsion or a siren call. Unfortunately, in an act said to be wholly rare for the Girl-Who-Lived, her common sense overrode her impulsive nature, for Gandalf made a decent point earlier in the day. _Trust goes both ways_ , and if they were meant to be aiding one another in their objective quests, then Lux-Vita had to extend an olive branch, not only to fulfill her duty as Keeper of the Realms by establishing allies for the unforeseeable future, but as a devoted goddaughter; she would never allow her personal feelings and obstinacy to further risk any hopes of locating Sirius.

And so, after Bombur's scrumptious dinner had been effectively wiped clean, Lux-Vita grudgingly remained by the Company's side and patiently awaited the onslaught of questioning that she was promised to be on the receiving end of. When the silence became too awkward to bear, she huffed in irritation and met the icy orbs of the uncrowned King, " _Well_ …? What would you like to know?"

Taken aback by her willingness to divulge, Thorin deftly concealed his shock at the girl's direct approach. Despite his hubris, and the fact that he was an irascible and difficult dwarf, Thorin was exceptionally astute and in tune with his surroundings, therefore, he easily detected the girl's reluctance in regards to sharing information with them and he had his suspicions over whether or not the girl would depart Middle Earth without their knowledge in an effort of escaping the imminent inquisition. For that reason, Thorin kept a watchful eye on the ruby-haired girl. However, he should have known by now that the human was a girl of her word, irrespective of her disinclination towards the entire matter.

All eyes were on the uncrowned King, in anticipation of his first inquiry. Thorin radiated an air of overconfidence and cleared his throat, "Why is that, that creature so devoted to you? _Who_ are you to garner such unwavering loyalty and profound respect?"

Lux-Vita inwardly groaned, but just as she was about to retort smartly in an effort of deflecting the inquiry, her orbs connected with proverbial twinkling ones, and she sighed in acquiesce, "In my Realm, among the magical community, I am a… well, to put it bluntly while not sounding arrogant, I am famous among witches and wizards." Fíli, Kíli and Ori gaped at her in awe, prompting the witch to shift uncomfortably and fiddle with the hem of her shirt; she hated being put on a pedestal, and she hurriedly continued before any interruptions could be made, "I am hailed as the Girl-Who-Lived, and as of the end of last year, I am widely speculated as the 'Chosen One'," she huffed in annoyance, making sure to insert quotations at that blasted moniker that irked her.

Her ambiguousness was not appreciated by the cantankerous King, "And why are you hailed as such?"

"Two decades ago, conflict arose in the British magical community, fueled by prejudice, not unlike between the dwarfs and the Elves," and here, she shot the twelve dwarves a contemptuous glare that prompted Gandalf's lips to quirk into a diminutive smile in response, "And it all started with a dark wizard – a terrifyingly powerful and evil wizard who wished to subjugate those he deemed to be filth and unworthy of not only magic, but life itself."

There was a mystical, eerie and captivating quality detected in Lux-Vita's tone, and the Company couldn't help but lean forward in interest, most notably Ori; even Thorin was entranced by the girl's narration, though he smoothly concealed it.

"The aforementioned wizard was christened Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he hated having a common name and so he dubbed himself Lord Voldemort; an anagram of his name," recognition flickered in fifteen pairs of eyes, vividly recalling the scabrous monstrosity that emerged out of a man-sized cauldron upon viewing the horrifying memory not long ago. "Voldemort was feared by many to the extent that nobody dared utter his name, preferring to call him _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ , or _You-Know-Who_ ," she sneered in disdain for a moment before pride colored her features, "except for my Headmaster, my parents, my godfather and a few of their friends who rallied against him. He wanted to rid the wizarding word of Muggleborns, that is, a magical person born to non-magical parents. Most Purebloods, who make up the majority of the elite in the wizarding world, supported him, sharing the same beliefs and some even willingly enslaved themselves to him, for despite him being pure evil and unmerciful, he could be very charming when needed to be; his initial weapon during his youth. He not only commanded the majority of Dark witches and wizards, but magical creatures as well. And with this power and growing supporters, he waged war against the Light."

The ruby-haired witch paused for a breather and collected her thoughts. Fíli, Kíli, Ori and Bilbo had expressions of utter horror in response to Lux-Vita's tale; the elders however, grimaced in comprehension, them too having suffered through wars and tyrants. Sauron may have been before their time – excluding Gandalf, but Smaug and Azog were not, and they sympathized with the human girl.

"Homes were destroyed, those who do not possess magic and Muggleborns were raped and slaughtered, and some were mutilated beyond recognition. Voldemort and his Death Eaters inspired terror and nobody knew who to trust anymore," Lux-Vita's face flushed in apoplectic rage at the reminder of Wormtail's betrayal. "Friends could be enemies, supporters of the Light could be spies for the Dark… it was complete and utter pandemonium." Emeralds solemnly took in each member of the Company as she recalled what Sirius once told her, "Imagine what my kind went through… you don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working with him and who isn't; Voldemort could control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves-"they vividly remembered the incantation cast on the human girl upon witnessing the memory, and how she remarkably fought his command, and a grimace etched their visages at the plethora of victims that succumbed to that fearsome word. "-You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news come of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing…The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the non-magicals, who are also dying, in hopes of avoiding a full-scale war with them. There's terror everywhere… panic… confusion… that's how it used to be. That was what Voldemort generated."

Fifteen faces paled in horror at the detailed description. Immersed in the vivid portrayal, Fíli unconsciously whispered, "What changed?"

A bitter smile appeared on Lux-Vita's visage, and confusing the Company, she simply said, "I did."

Sucking in a deep breath, she collected her bearings whilst attempting to detach any emotion in order to reveal the next part of her tale, one that left a profound scar on her – physically, psychologically and emotionally. "Fifteen years ago, Voldemort targeted my parents," emeralds glistened with tears, and her voice sounded strangled, consuming the twelve dwarfs, the lone hobbit and the Grey Wizard with dread, "My parents, James and Lily Potter stood up to, and escaped from, Voldemort three times already and they continued to prevail and fight for the Light side, and- and Dumbledore advised them to go into hiding under a powerful charm called the Fidelius Charm, therefore, the only way our home could be found, was if the secret keeper divulged our location of his own volition. One night, I was only fifteen months old at the time, Voldemort appeared at our doorstep. My parents fought bravely, but, in the end… they were- they were no match for him and he swiftly killed them-"

Her voice broke and she suddenly felt two hands interlace with her own; she spared Fíli and Kíli a gratified smile as they succeeded in giving her the strength to carry on, "Voldemort trained his wand on me and he cast the Killing Curse, but… but it rebounded. The magical backlash destroyed him and I was left with naught but a scar on my forehead." Fifteen pairs of eyes automatically raked her forehead, their curiosity regarding the peculiarly shaped scar finally satiated. "I am the only person alive, in history, to ever survive that curse, and for that reason I was hailed the Girl-Who-Lived, and since I rid the wizarding world from his tyranny, despite it being temporary, I became famous and am basically worshiped by all."

"How did you survive, Lass?" Balin vividly recalled the sinister curse that swiftly killed her fiancé and he felt awed over the mere fact that she inexplicably survived. Lux-Vita smiled sadly, "According to Dumbledore, my mother's love saved me. She sacrificed herself for me and defied Voldemort when he bartered her life for mine, and that _pure_ act of love, of-of _selflessness_ , it evoked a brand of old magic that acted as some sort of protection."

Dwalin however, was curious over a particular anomaly and he gruffly asked, "Who betrayed you?"

The redhead's face darkened, a metaphorical thundercloud looming above her head as she clenched her bony hands into fists, crescent-shaped marks digging into her creamy palms. However, sadness lingered in her expressive, otherworldly emeralds. "My father and godfather had a strong, _unbreakable_ bond of friendship, mischief-makers to boot, both enjoying wreaking havoc along their way, very much like Fíli and Kíli here," a half-smirk appeared on her plump lips as the two pranksters in question puffed up proudly, engulfing the Company with laughter. "Upon their arrival at Hogwarts they befriended Remus Lupin, my honorary uncle, and Peter Pettigrew. The four of them created mischief and mayhem, sparing nobody from their pranks; they became known as the Marauders, and their close bond only became stronger as they matured into adulthood, and it reached a point that they would gladly protect one another with their lives. No questions asked. No hesitation. …When Dumbledore suggested the Fidelius Charm, naturally, my godfather was the obvious choice," all levity dissipated, and even Thorin felt a shiver at Lux-Vita's hardened expression, cold tone and flinty orbs, "And therein lay the conundrum. Sirius would be an easy target. So, he came up with a brilliant idea; the ultimate prank. He proposed Pettigrew take up the mantle while Sirius act as a decoy. None but my parents, Pettigrew and himself knew of the change in Secret Keeper. Unfortunately, the filthy rat traitor was a spy for Voldemort and he unremorsefully shared our location."

A plethora of insults were bellowed in harsh and rapid Khuzdul. Traitors were not taken lightly by the loyal Race of Dwarfs and Dwalin's hand itched for his trusty dual axes, Grasper and Keeper.

"But sending us to our deaths wasn't enough for the traitor," Lux-Vita venomously spat out, her eyes finally connecting with the horrified expressions belonging to each member of the Company, "With his _Lord_ vanquished, and my inexplicable survival, Pettigrew no longer had the protection of the Light or the Dark. A day later, Sirius confronted him, but the rat had another ace up his sleeve. Since Sirius was thought to be the Secret Keeper, he bellowed for everyone to hear of his betrayal, blew up the street, killing twelve Muggles, and cut off his finger, before transforming into his rat form and scampering off. My godfather was tossed into the wizarding prison without a trial, where he rotted there for twelve years until he managed to escape."

Silence descended upon them. Thorin could comprehend now why the human girl fought hard to keep her story guarded, for it was no happy tale… but one filled with darkness, betrayal and torment.

"So, _your majesty_ ," Lux-Vita announced in a biting tone, and the uncrowned King sensed those otherworldly emeralds were gazing deep into his soul, eliciting a half-shiver that, in the recess of his mind, he admitted to be not an entirely unpleasant sensation for some confounding reason. "Is your curiosity abated? Or would you like to continue dredging up hurtful memories for me to re-experience?"

Like whiplash, all feelings of guilt the human girl's tale evoked, faded away like mist. Thorin found himself preferring the weak, catatonic version of herself when compared to the impertinent, bullheaded and brazen girl seated a few feet away from him. Pools of pure sapphire hardened and disintegrated into chips of ice, regarding Lux-Vita with utter disdain, "You would do well to keep in mind to who you speak with such _blatant_ effrontery!" Thorin elegantly got onto his feet, glaring down at the human with loathing, jutting his chin out aggressively. "You are naught but a stranger traveling alongside _my_ Company, and I have _every_ right as the Leader and as King to demand knowledge of your background. So in the future, keep that acid-tongue behind your teeth!"

Lux-Vita bridled in fury as a result of his tone and his caustic words, steadily meeting polar eyes with a flinty stare, her emerald gems hardening like steel at the nerve of that-that insufferable _dwarf_! The ambience was shrouded in intense tension that could be easily cut with a butter knife, only broken by the dissonant singing of cicadas in the background; absently, Lux-Vita wondered if cicadas actually existed in Middle Earth.

In a manner of forced calm, Lux-Vita flicked her wrist, her holly wand loyally appearing in her hand from its holster. The Company's reaction was immediate; Dwalin was the first to menacingly raise his war hammer in the air, which set off a fluid chain reaction. Only Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Bilbo and Gandalf remained nonchalant, the prospect of Lux-Vita moving to attack Thorin not once, not even for a second, crossing their minds.

"Du Bekâr! _Du Bekâr_!" Thorin bellowed a mighty war cry, and Lux-Vita couldn't help but aggressively roll her eyes when the ten dwarfs raised their respective weapons in the air and forced the three younger dwarfs and Bilbo in the formed circle – all four of whom were attempting to halt their overreaction.

Lux-Vita scoffed loudly and with a simple flick of her wand, all her belongings that were scattered on the ground, levitated into the air and neatly packed themselves into her beaded bag. Another flick, and the beaded bag shrunk so it could snuggly fit in her sock. "How anticlimactic," she drawled out, ignoring the twinge of pain in her heart for being treated like a threat. Emerald eyes absorbed the dwarfs, their weapons raised in the air in an offensive stance, and betrayal shone through when they met Balin, Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur, the four elder dwarfs she foolishly believed to have trusted her.

"Even after _everything_ I told you," she spoke in a deceptively soft tone, which made her appear terrifying – not that Thorin would ever admit. "I shared my past, my burdens, my titles. I extended an olive branch, believing that if you were given insight into my past, you'd be less wary around me," every word was carried away with the wind, and slowly, a few dwarfs lowered their weapons, guilt and shame marring their features. Lux-Vita shook her head, and her eyes glowed an Avada Kedavra green, "You witnessed a _private_ memory! I grudgingly gave permission, hoping to alleviate the tension between us and garner _your_ trust," she spat at Thorin, who glared back impassively, Orcrist stubbornly pointed at her, "You watched me get _raped_ -"cue violent flinches, " - _tortured_! You watched the light leave my fiancé's eyes and the will to live leave mine!" at that moment, only Thorin, Dwalin and Glóin had their weapons poised to attack. "I should have known the stubbornness of the dwarfs would always win out. You will never accept me. You will never embrace other Races, and trust, and accept much needed help. And for that," here, she gave Thorin a sardonic smile, "For that, Thorin Oakenshield, _King under the Mountain_ , I _pity_ you. It appears you don't have the makings of being a great King."

Thorin's face turned an ugly shade of puce, but before he could retaliate, Gandalf interjected, his wizened face contorted in disappointment, "Quiet, Thorin. You have already done much damage. My Child," he barely spared Thorin a proper glance, desperate to deter the witch from leaving their midst, "You-"

"Save it, Gandalf," Lux-Vita sighed, dragging a bony hand through her glossy curls, "I'm _tired_. So. Bloody. Tired of trying to prove myself to this Company. This has been a waste of my time."

Gandalf was only too quick to remind her, "But your duties-"

" _My duty_ is to _my people_! _My duty_ is to my _godfather_ ," she firmly cut him off, a hint of steel in her voice. "My world is at the brink of war, Gandalf. My godfather, the one person that loves me unconditionally, who sacrificed himself for me, is most probably alone in this godforsaken world, most probably hurt and alone and lost. Instead of wasting my time trying to appease a bunch of dwarfs, especially a _bullheaded_ King, who would never change his initial thoughts of me, I could-… forget it," she wearily sighed, "I'm done. _So_ done."

Fíli, Kíli and Ori looked frantic once Gandalf's shoulders slumped in defeat.

Kíli desperately stepped up, "Lux-Vita, you can't go. Please."

Thorin found himself torn between disapproval that his nephew had grown attached to the human witch, and guilt for causing his nephews pain.

Lux-Vita gave him a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Kíli, apparently I don't belong here. I refuse to be treated like a pariah any longer, forced to continuously prove myself and be treated like the enemy."

"Lass," Balin hesitantly spoke up, and the human girl's posture stiffening at the sound of his voice didn't escape him, consuming him with shame, "Will we see you again?"

Lux-Vita gazed solemnly between every member of the Company, lingering a moment longer on Thorin who had finally lowered Orcrist, "I will return to continue searching for my godfather, if I so happen to cross paths with you along the way, then so be it. If not, then," she merely shrugged, not offering any more words.

Sparing them one last nod of acknowledgment, the gorgeous witch with captivating emerald eyes and unique ruby hair, craned her head up to the heavens, shuttered her eyes and relaxed her posture. A split-second later, she silently vanished from their midst, engulfing them in a strained silence.

"You could find more cheer in a graveyard," Glóin gruffly mumbled, violently tossing his axe onto the ground by his feet.

Gandalf stared intently at Thorin, and when his lips finally parted, he stated in a heavy voice, "I am _very_ disappointed in you, Thorin." and without another word, the Grey Wizard turned his back on the stubborn dwarf. Reseating himself on a large boulder, Gandalf retrieved the moving portrait of Lux-Vita's godfather from his cloak, and hummed under his breath.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

To say that Ron and Hermione were shocked over the fact that Lux-Vita returned after a day from Middle Earth would be a gross understatement.

Ever since Cedric's death and her defilement at Voldemort's hands, and now with Sirius gone, Ron had taken overprotectiveness to an entirely different level. After the incessant wheedling and cajoling from the other two, Lux-Vita finally spilled the beans, informing them of everything that took place at Middle Earth: rescuing the Company from the trolls, her failure in getting in touch with Sirius through the mirrors, and her regaling a part of her tale to the Company, ending with their cruel demeanor toward her, treating her as though _she_ , out of all people, was the enemy.

It was safe to assume that Ron and Hermione held no love for the dwarfs, _especially_ Thorin bloody Oakenshield, and they vowed that if they ever had the misfortune of running into the dwarf, despite the low probability of them ever appearing in Middle Earth, they would castrate him, ensuring he suffers deeply for treating their scarred friend in such a despicable way.

Lux-Vita was such a compassionate, giving and pure soul, who would sacrifice her life for anybody in need, even a complete stranger. For her to be treated by the dwarfs in the same manner they considered Voldemort, it was a huge insult, a forbidden one.

Days turned into weeks, weeks quickly turned into months, and when Lux-Vita wasn't fretting over her godfather's fate, and wondering if Gandalf managed to locate him, she distracted herself by putting all her efforts in discovering what Malfoy was trying to accomplish in the Room of Requirements – after Dobby and Kreacher finally came through and informed her of where he would disappear off to – and unraveling Voldemort's past with the Headmaster throughout their private lessons, culminating with Dumbledore's offer to accompany him in retrieving another one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.

With a heavy heart and her Invisibility Cloak in hand, Lux-Vita squarely met Hermione and Ron's identical worried gaze, both of them concerned over her well-being, despite the fact that she would be by Dumbledore's side the entire time. However, their worry and concern quickly morphed into confusion once she shoved the Marauder's Map into Hermione's hand.

"Lux-"

"No!" Lux-Vita hissed angrily, overriding her best friends' attempts at interrupting her with another round of skepticism, "I know what I heard! It was Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement. I have a bad feeling about tonight; one thing I learned is to _always_ trust my instincts. You've got to watch Malfoy and Snape, too. Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the DA. Hermione, those Galleons still work, right?"

Drawing herself to her full height, Hermione looked a tad affronted, "Of course they do. We both worked on them for ages. They won't wear off."

Lux-Vita nodded briskly, she had already wasted enough time conversing with her friends and she didn't want to keep Dumbledore waiting any longer, "Good. Dumbledore says he's put extra protection in the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what Dumbledore's protections is, and how to avoid it, but he won't be expecting you lot to be on the watch."

"Lux-"Hermione tried another stab at quelling the redhead's paranoia, her eyes huge with fear, but Lux-Vita curtly interrupted her again, "Mione, I don't have time to argue."

Digging through her pocket, Lux-Vita handed over the vial of Felix Felicis to a wide-eyed Ron, who at this point, comprehended the gravity of the situation. "Share it between you two, Ginny and Neville too. And if Luna comes, give her as well. I can't lose you guys like I lost Cedric and-"she shook her head wildly… _No, Sirius wasn't dead… not until she had proof in the form of his dead body_.

Ron and Hermione immediately engulfed the Girl-Who-Lost-Too-Much in a suffocating hug, wordlessly imparting her with a 'Good Luck', 'We love you' and 'Come back to us _alive_ '. No words needed to be said, the three best friends stuck together through thick and thin and had a knack for reading each other.

Extricating herself from their affectionate grip, Lux-Vita bravely attempted to give them a comforting smile, which ended up a mix of a weak smile and a grimace, "I'd better go. Dumbledore's waiting."

And without another word, Lux-Vita was off, hurrying back through the portrait hole towards the Entrance Hall, where Dumbledore portentously stood, waiting for her beside the oaken front doors.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

It has been three days since the human girl vanished from their midst in a flurry of robes and dangerously glowing eyes, and the Company were still submerged in a gloomy ambience. Gandalf had taken to giving all but Fíli, Kíli, Ori and Bilbo the silent treatment, and it was beginning to grate on Thorin's nerves.

Thorin wasn't as heartless as some – Lux-Vita – were led to believe; he was merely a stubborn mule with a deep dislike of accepting aid from strangers, and worse, an individual from a different Race. Thorin was too paranoid, constantly practiced caution, and his most prominent trait, was the fear of the unknown. The Istari personally sent by the Valar to aid Middle Earth and its inhabitants were notorious and revered, but a witch who had come forth from another world, t'was a complete anomaly, and unlike his nephews, Thorin wasn't prepared to embrace the human girl with open arms and easily dole out his trust.

What frustrated Gandalf most of all, was he _knew_ Thorin to be noble and kind with a huge heart, albeit its many defenses and the famed trait of stubbornness the line of Durin held in spades. If Thorin wished to, he could have formed a strong alliance with the powerful witch, made her feel welcome with such effortless ease… and yet, he didn't. Frustrating Gandalf to no end.

However, Gandalf could not dwell on thoughts of Lux-Vita for long. He was diligently leading the Company to Rivendell without their knowledge, a truly time-consuming endeavor. If only the stubborn dwarf could admit they needed Lord Elrond's aid in translating the map. If Thorin recognized the path they currently took was a subtle detour to the Elven town, Gandalf would _never_ hear the end of it, and an altercation would arise, wasting time and most importantly, Gandalf's patience.

"We stop here!" Thorin suddenly boomed out in an authoritative tone. He neatly dismounted his pony and began bellowing instructions to the other dwarfs.

Before long, the Company devoured their dinner, the conversation rather stilted and slightly awkward. The space they settled for a respite had been unoccupied, and excluding the thirteen dwarfs, the lone hobbit and the Grey Wizard, their only company was the silent air and an array of trees. For that reason, when a large hut appeared behind them, engulfed in violent, roaring flames, they all noticed, having come to their attention when Fíli let out a loud yelp of alarm, a trembling finger pointed at the hut that materialized out of thin air.

Weapons were immediately unsheathed, and Gandalf charged forward staff in hand, expression solemn, and bemused eyes taking in the inexplicable change in scenario. They were all vigilant, perusing their surroundings for an intruder, and even Bilbo had drawn Sting, ready to protect himself and the Company.

"Tharkûn, what in Mahal's name is going on?" Thorin growled, tightening his hand on Orcrist while keeping a close eye on his nephews. However, before Gandalf could offer any form of response, cacophonous shouts echoed around them, ripping through the cold night air, and jets of light flashed in the distance.

Nori, who had been sharply assessing their surroundings, abruptly yelled, "Look at that giant!"

The moment the huge man appeared, many black-cloaked figures materialized out of thin air, rheaded for their direction. Without hesitation, Dwalin swung Grasper in a jabbing motion, but instead of impacting the nearest cloaked figure, it passed _right_ through. Recognition dawned on Gandalf, and the tight grip on his staff relaxed, " _Do nothing_! They are merely illusions."

Supporting Gandalf's theory, the familiar voice of the human girl resonated in the air.

" _Impedimenta_!" Lux-Vita yelled.

The Company observed in awe as the redhead rolled over on the ground, and bellowed a word in some language they could not comprehend. However, a jet of turquoise light was emitted from the tip of her wand, impressively impacting with the cloaked figure Dwalin tried dispatching. The man stumbled and fell, tripping up another of his comrades. But much to the Company's surprise, the human girl barely spared them a glance and had immediately leapt to her feet, sprinting after one figure in particular with an intense look of hatred on her breathtaking face.

"What is happening, Gandalf?" Kíli asked, concerned.

Gandalf scrutinized the ominous scene, shrewd grey eyes flickering between a burly, blonde man aiming a variety of spells at the giant, and Lux-Vita, her face set in determination as she aimed her wand and yelled " _Stupefy!_ " at the figure she had chosen to chase. "I believe… from what I recall, that those cloaked men are the Death Eaters she spoke of." As though a match had been lit, the dwarfs and Bilbo recognized their dark attire from the previous memory Lady Galadriel had shown them, regarding the atrocity's resurgence.

Sprinting the short distance, the Company managed to get a clear vision of the man Lux-Vita was adamantly pursuing; he had sallow skin, greasy hair curtaining his face, a hooked nose and emotionless, black eyes. The man abruptly shouted at a shorter figure with white-blonde hair, "Run, Draco!"

"That's the boy Lux-Vita is suspicious of!" Fíli commented, sapphire eyes burning a hole through the blonde's back, "The one she had the tiny elves follow around."

The sallow-faced man whipped around to confront Lux-Vita, her eyes blazing as she cried out, " _Cruc_ –" but the man parried the curse with ease, the force of it knocking the human girl off her feet.

"OI!" all but Thorin, Dwalin and Glóin yelled. They all observed with trepidation as the man slowly approached her fallen form, and watched as she bravely echoed the previous incantation, only for it be blocked once more by the looming man.

"No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!" he yelled, lips twisted in an ugly sneer, and the Company instantly disliked him. "You haven't got the nerve or the ability –"

"Incarc –"and again, the man deflected Lux-Vita's spell with an almost lazy flick of his arm, a telltale sign that this … _wizard_? was not one to be trifled with, and way out of Lux-Vita's league.

Fíli and Kíli huddled together, fearing for the life of the girl they formed a bond with, despite their uncle's countless objections. Thorin recognized the emotion of sheer hatred coloring the man's face, for it mirrored his own whenever he looked upon the human girl, and for some odd reason, his heart clenched at the proof of his unwarranted behavior toward her.

"FIGHT BACK!" Lux-Vita screamed, prompting the Company to jump in their spot, not having expected to hear the pain and malice in the human girl's voice. "Fight back, you cowardly –"

"Coward, did you call me, Potter?" the man shouted, eyes flashing dangerously. "Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?"

In harmony, gasps permeated the air; even Thorin, Dwalin, and Glóin, the three notable dwarfs who treated the human girl guardedly and with such disdain, were incensed with the man's audacity in bringing up the dead in a pejorative manner. The Company watched, with an air of hopelessness, as Lux-Vita's litany of spells were all deflected by the sallow-faced man while he cruelly taunted her, when all of a sudden, a jet of crimson light hit her from behind, and she keeled over, agonizing screams emanating from her plump lips.

"That's the-the torture curse!" Dori cried out, sternly.

They felt completely inadequate, unable to do anything but watch as the human girl screamed in anguish and writhed on the ground. However, to their collective surprise, the sallow-faced man looked furious and he roared for the perpetrator to desist, "Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord – we are to leave her! _Go_!"

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better," a frantic Kíli muttered, the image of that disgusting monstrosity in close proximity to Lux-Vita conjured in his head.

Barely allowing herself a breather – which deeply impressed Thorin – Lux-Vita collected herself and began a new onslaught of spells… _the true makings of a warrior_ , the uncrowned King sadly thought, hating himself once again for his cruel treatment toward the human girl. It was when she yelled " _Sectum_ –" did the man go ballistic; he no longer had an ugly sneer marring his face, nor did he jeer at her. Instead, the man showed a face full of rage, "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them – I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so… _no_!"

"He looks like no Prince to me," Bofur huffed, his cheerful face uncharacteristically twisted into malicious rage. Simultaneously, half the dwarfs let out a string of expletives directed at the wizard in rapid Khuzdul for insulting the human girl's gallant father.

They watched as the man hurled her wand out of sight with a spell, prompting an expression of defeat to appear on her face; they could detect no fear, only rage and contempt as she looked up at him, "Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, you coward –"

"Who died?"

"What?"

"Mahal"

But the Company's words could not be heard, veiled by the man's abrupt scream, his face suddenly demented, "DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" and he slashed at the air, the spell impacted with Lux-Vita, slamming her backward into the ground, eliciting concerned yells from the Company.

The man disappeared.

In fact, all the cloaked figures vanished into mist, leaving behind Lux-Vita and the giant she acknowledged as "Hagrid". Rendered speechless, they watched as the human girl extinguished the violent flames from the cabin, the same action she had administered to dowse the flames the troll produced after her sudden, yet welcoming appearance a few days back.

"Tharkûn, what is the meaning of this? How are we able to see the girl between worlds?" Thorin exclaimed, his tone firm, and in no mood for riddles. Gandalf however, stroked his beard in deep thought, eyes perusing the discombobulating display, "I have a theory…but I am unsure of it. Let me think more on the subject, and for now, I assume we are meant to follow Lux-Vita."

Disgruntled by the wizard's evasiveness, Thorin reluctantly nodded in acquiescence, and together, the Company trudged after the human girl and the giant.

"Oh Mahal!" Ori breathed out in awe, his hazel eyes greedily devouring the change in scenery. And he wasn't the only one. They blindly followed the illusions, their eyes fixated on the magnificent, opulent castle, until they finally halted by the foot of the tallest tower; strangled gasps emanated from each and every one of them, eyes widening on the figure lying dead on the ground, spread-eagled and graceful.

The giant – Hagrid let out a moan of pain and shock.

Murmurs and screams and violent sobs permeated the air.

And Lux-Vita moved, dreamlike, to the very front, where the crowd of dumbstruck humans had left a gap.

"That's- that's Dumbledore. Lux-Vita's mentor, the one she cherishes and looks up to," Kíli stated in a grave tone, recalling the many fond mentions of the wizard in passing, and the way he sprung over to comfort her after returning from the graveyard with the corpse of her fiancé.

Thorin watched, undeniably entranced by the human girl's movements. His eyes never left her form, not even for a split-second. He watched the witch, the girl who continuously lost those she cared for – he observed her body crumble by his side, thick, pearly tears cascade down her slightly grubby cheeks like rivulets. She kneeled down; reached out, straightened the odd half-moon item upon his crooked nose, and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth with her own sleeve. Thorin watched as the enchanting ruby-haired girl stared at the fallen wizard with an air of melancholia, before rooting through his pocket and removing a gold locket.

Unseen to the Company, Gandalf too, was engrossed in Lux-Vita's actions. The moment she wiped a trickle of blood from the great wizard's mouth, Gandalf's eyes flickered a pure blue shade, devoid of its usual twinkle at the heartbreaking scene. And when Lux-Vita broke into body wracking sobs over the fallen corpse of the wizard she perceived as a grandfather, a locket clenched tightly in her hand, a thick tear ran down his face, just before Gandalf's irises morphed back into its regular shade of grey.

 **A/N:** **Da-da-dum!**

 **What does** _ **that**_ **mean?! Anyone care to hazard a guess? ;)**

 **My aim is to continue shocking you… but next chapter there will be an explanation and things will move along. We'll finally arrive at Rivendell and I've got quite a few surprises along the way!** _ **And**_ **new characters introduced! I cannot wait! XD**

 **R &R.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 14:**

There was still a strained tension amongst the Company of Thorin Oakenshield as they continued onward, unsuspectingly shortening the distance between them and Rivendell, much like Gandalf stealthily planned.

Packing camp and mounting their respective ponies – and in Gandalf's case, his horse – that morning marked the seventh day of Lux-Vita's departure, and the fourth day of the appearance of the confounding illusion, and since then, none noticed the subtle changes in Gandalf and Thorin.

Thorin was compunctious. He could ceaselessly argue that the race of men and elves tended to treat dwarves abysmally and with such disdain, and had never come to their aid when Smaug attacked Erebor, as well as during the battle of Azanulbizar, therefore sowing the seed of distrust that was practically engrained in the hearts and minds of the dwarves. Nevertheless, obstinacy and pride aside, dwarves were an honorable race and would never _deliberately_ dishonor a woman, no matter her race, and yet, Thorin treated the girl despicably. _Oh Mahal_ , his mother taught him better, _especially_ the proper propriety in regards to the treatment of a woman.

Dís would be so ashamed of him, and he shivered at the mere thought of her reaction. He could already hear her threatening to castrate him. … _Mahal_.

Whenever he closed his eyes, Thorin was plagued with dreams of the illusion, images of the man who murdered the girl's mentor vivid in his mind: the contorted sneer, the hateful words, the malice, the disrespect to her deceased father… Thorin treated the girl no better. He had initially perceived her as naught but a weakling and a burden, when she was anything _but_. The traumatized girl was a warrior and her courage was an inspiration. Thorin's natural distrust and grudge against the other races, incited by Thranduil abandoning his people at their greatest time of need, was proving to be detrimental, blindsiding him.

" _I pity you. It appears you don't have the makings of being a great King."_

Thorin's eyes shuttered, her parting words repeating like a mantra in the recess of his mind. _Is her claim true?_

He absently ordered his Company to dismount and make camp, allowing them reprieve with a prompt afternoon meal before they journeyed on. "Glóin, Oín, start the fire. Fíli, Kíli, mind the ponies! Nori, Bifur, scout the area." They silently acquiesced, and Bofur, Dori and Ori turned to assist Bombur in preparing stew.

"Lad," Balin approached him, his brown eyes regarding him with warmth and kindness Thorin felt to be totally misplaced. "What is ailing you?" Dwalin grunted in agreement, and the sons of Fundin stared him down, awaiting his response.

Thorin exhaled loudly, eyes beseeching his kin and staunchest allies, "The girl. I am beginning to doubt my behavior. Her parting words haunt me." For the girl hadn't been the only person to make such claims since their departure from Bag End… the elf-witch and Tharkûn _both_ imparted him with similar assertions.

Dwalin's posture turned rigid, a heavy scowl darkening his features. He opened his mouth to predictably spew forth demeaning words regarding the girl, but promptly swallowed them back when Balin shot him a stern glare. Thorin, too familiar with the dynamic between the brothers, recognized the subject of the girl to be a recurring argument, one that they emphatically disagreed upon.

"Thorin, you need to think long and hard about the lass, and why she provokes such unwarranted ire out of you," Balin slowly uttered, shrewd eyes observing his King. "I have never seen you treat a woman as you treat Lux-Vita, and I've known you since you were a wee lad. Something about the lass changes you, and not for the better."

The uncrowned king swallowed the lump from his throat and looked away, unable to further meet his advisor's eye. Accepting a bowl of stew from Bifur, Thorin, Balin and Dwalin ate in an uncomfortable silence. Dwalin obviously disagreed with his brother, yet Thorin could no longer deny his behavior vastly morphed whenever the girl was in close proximity to him and especially, his kin. The two illusions he bore witness to prompted him to accept the girl was a warrior, and immensely brave who unconsciously received respect. The girl sensed their distress and saved them from the trolls, swiftly dispatching them with ease, and yet, she offered the last troll pardon, proof of her compassion.

His deep pondering was abruptly interrupted when his icy orbs fixated on the group of five, huddled together, their faces leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner at a good distance from the rest of the Company. Thorin's eyes narrowed in suspicion… _what was Tharkûn planning now?_

Gandalf _did_ in fact, have a plan. Having stealthily led the Company a few hours away from the secret cave to Rivendell, he allowed himself to finally act on a certain conjecture that had been plaguing the recess of his mind since the illusion of Lux-Vita materialized before them four days ago. He covertly beckoned Fíli, Kíli, Ori and Bilbo to where he sat on a boulder, ensuring their conversation would not be overheard. The three youngest dwarves and the hobbit were the most welcoming toward Lux-Vita, and Gandalf knew they were extremely worried over her well-being, making them the perfect candidates.

"I have a theory regarding the illusions and why they appeared before us," Gandalf commenced, his orbs twinkling merrily at their instantaneous reactions, certain that he made the right decision; the three dwarves and the hobbit scrutinized him with abated breaths. "When you were captured by trolls, Lux-Vita mentioned a sensation that consumed her, informing her of your predicament. I believe a connection was made. Tell me, four days back, were any of you thinking about Lux-Vita?"

Fíli and Kíli shot each other a clandestine look before meeting Gandalf's twinkling gaze. Fíli nodded, his sapphire orbs alight with wonder, "Kíli and I were discussing uncle and how he behaves around her. Then we, well-" the heir of Durin sheepishly scratched the nape of his neck, "-we brought up our mother, and what her reaction would be once she discovers uncle's despicable behavior toward a woman."

A boyish grin spread on Kíli's youthful face, recognition dawning on him, "I asked Fíli what he supposed Lux-Vita was doing in her world, and that was when he pointed out the burning shack."

"Splendid!" Gandalf jovially clapped his hands together, regarding the four youngest members of the Company with sharp eyes. "Simply marvelous. Yes, yes, Fíli, Kíli. You two prove my speculations to be correct." Noticing Thorin's suspicious gaze penetrating them, he leaned forward and spoke in a hush, "I _strongly_ believe the connection is activated by the bonds she created here in Middle Earth, specifically between us five. Fíli and Kíli were genuinely concerned about Lux-Vita which triggered the illusion, equivalent to how she sensed your predicament and came to your aid."

His thirst for knowledge intensifying, Ori overcame his shy demeanor and excitedly inquired, "If we all think hard about Miss Lux-Vita, will we see her?"

Gandalf beamed at the young dwarf, " _That_ is the question I would like answered. I worry for the girl and I brought you here to ask for a favor; to pool your thoughts of Lux-Vita together in the hopes of another illusion appearing before us." Fíli, Kíli and Ori didn't bother dallying around and immediately conjured images of the human girl in their heads. Bilbo on the other hand, sharply assessed the Grey Wizard, for he, unlike the others, noticed a stark change in his usual demeanor. Gandalf seemed more benevolent with his answers, and more… _serene?_

Abruptly, Thorin got onto his feet, prompting confused frowns out of the Fundin brothers. Thorin grew tired of observing the meddling wizard from afar, and just as he decided to demand answers out of the group, another illusion struck, inciting cries of alarm.

There was no mistaking the distinctive ruby hair. The girl sat in front of a worn-out tent, a girl with wild brown curls sitting to her right, and a boy with bright orange hair sat a few feet away, tinkering with some odd contraption.

"It worked! _It worked_!" Kíli whooped, the smile etched on his face threatening to split it in half. Thorin's eyes narrowed on his nephews, Ori, the burglar and most especially, the beaming wizard, and he stomped toward them, " _What_ worked?! What is the meaning of this?"

Gandalf suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the pigheaded, cantankerous dwarf, "I had a theory, Thorin, and your nephews were a major contribution. It seems, we have a connection with dear Lux-Vita, and if were to sincerely ponder about her well-being, an illusion would introduce itself to us." Thorin's lips pursed into a stern line, but before he had a chance to verbalize his thoughts, the orange-haired boy victoriously cried out, " _I've got it, I've got it_! Password was 'Albus'! Get in here, Lux, Mione!"

"Those are Lux-Vita's friends from inside the mirror!" Fíli recalled, eyes sparkling with joy at their success, which succeeded in infuriating Thorin even more.

The entire Company, excluding Gandalf, gaped in wonder as _actual_ _voices_ emanated from _inside_ the odd-shaped, metal contraption. "…apologize for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters," a masculine voice that radiated mischief exclaimed. Gandalf chuckled, and this time, Bilbo wasn't the only soul to capture the flash of recognition in the wandering wizard's eyes… Thorin cocked his head to the side, his sharp gaze traveling from the illusion to Tharkûn.

"That's Lee Jordan!" Hermione breathed out.

"So this 'Lee Jordan' exists inside that metal box?" Bofur generally inquired; confusion plain on his features.

But Gandalf was too busy chuckling at the second and third voices that introduced themselves as 'Royal' and 'Romulus' from within the contraption. The Wizard's exuberant disposition however, died upon hearing Lee's report. "Let's take a moment to report those deaths that the _Wizarding Wireless Network News_ and _Daily Prophet_ don't think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell."

"No!" Lux-Vita's body wracked with a few sobs, her head vigorously shaking in denial, "Poor Tonks." The other two gazed at each other in horror at the revelation.

Thorin and Bilbo were joined by Balin, all three of them gazing at Gandalf in confusion upon seeing the twinkle in his eyes dim.

"A goblin by the name of Gornuk was also killed. It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been traveling with Tonks, Cresswell, and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news."

Dwalin sneered, his features contorting in revulsion, " _Goblins_?! Who would ally themselves with those wretched creatures?!" Before Gandalf could offer a retort, Fíli, to their palpable surprise, offered a response, "Maybe Goblins in that world are different. I mean, we have already seen proof that their magic works differently than Gandalf's."

"Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. Muggle authorities are attributing the deaths to be a gas leak, but members of the Order of the Phoenix inform me that it was the Killing Curse-"the thirteen dwarves and lone hobbit shivered upon hearing the dratted curse that had the ability to kill someone in a heartbeat with naught but two simple words. They recalled the girl's fiancé's death and how he dropped dead, and they were so absorbed in the gruesome image they conjured, that they missed a part of the report, returning to the present to hear the 'Lee' human conclude his speech, "Listeners, I'd like to invite you now to join us in a minute's silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk, and the unnamed, but no less regretted, Muggles murdered by the Death Eaters."

Lux-Vita and her friends bowed their heads in mourning, the silence overwhelming Thorin and the Company.

"What in Mahal's name is happening?" Dori rhetorically blurted out.

"What Lux-Vita mentioned to be looming on the horizon," Gandalf sadly uttered, his eyes never straying from the form of the ruby-haired girl. " _War_."

Thorin shifted uncomfortably. How could he forget the morbid tale the girl narrated a week ago by the fire. Unbidden, her voice reverberated in his head " _My duty_ is to _my people_! _My duty_ is to my _godfather. My world is at the brink of war._ " Thorin drowned out all surrounding noise as he concentrated on the girl's form; she looked exhausted, disheveled and emaciated. There were heavy bags under her eyes, her face was gaunt and her emeralds regained the haunted quality from their initial introduction. She resembled a stick and looked fragile, like one gust of wind could blow her away. Her friends fared no better, and an air of sleep deprivation and starvation radiated from the three humans.

"And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be 'Wizards first'?" the voice they acknowledged to be Lee, inquired. A deeper voice that belonged to Kingsley, did not hesitate to reply, not knowing that his words would make a huge impact on thirteen dwarves that existed in another realm, "I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to 'Purebloods first', and then to 'Death Eaters'. We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."

Thorin flinched at the appropriate dig at his person, and the twelve dwarves shifted uncomfortably, sheepishly avoiding eye contact with a certain smug wizard as they recognized the situation mirrored their prejudice with the elves. Gandalf huffed, a pride glint in his eyes, "I couldn't have said it better myself. It appears that you lot could learn a thing or two from these illusions." His penetrating gaze burned Thorin's for a brief moment before returning to the illusion.

"-and now, over to Romulus for our popular feature 'Pals of Potter.'"

As a new voice echoed from within the metal contraption, Glóin grunted, "The lass was not hoodwinking us when she claimed to be a famous figure in her realm." Dwalin grumbled in agreement, while Thorin inched closer to better gauge the witch's reaction.

" _Lupin_!" the three mortals cheered, relief evident on their features.

"Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you've appeared on our program, that Lux-Vita Potter is still alive?"

The uncrowned king felt his blood turn cold, but his features remained impassive, flummoxed over the sudden fear that gripped his heart in regards to the girl's welfare. His bemusement abruptly morphed into fury upon seeing his sister-sons palpable concern over the girl and he gritted his teeth.

"Why would they believe Lux-Vita perished?" Bofur asked, Bombur and Bifur sharing their kin's concern.

The one identified as Lupin spoke from within the contraption, his voice firm and unwavering. "I do. There is no doubt at all in my mind that her death would be proclaimed as widely as possible by the Death Eaters if it had happened, because it would strike a deadly blow at the morale of those resisting the new regime. 'The Girl Who Lived' remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to _keep_ resisting."

Guilt struck the hearts of those in the Company who treated Lux-Vita deplorably; shame was quick to follow, recalling how they constantly perceived her as an enemy and showed her naught but distrust, while in the other realm, she was a beacon of light, of good, and was well-respected by her people… almost equivalent to a Queen.

Thorin however, was affected the most. With Azog the Defiler dead, his greatest fear was failure… failing his people, failing to defeat the gold sickness, and most of all, failing as a King. Yet Lux-Vita, a girl he mistreated and scorned and derided, ruled without even trying. She was a natural Queen and a courageous warrior. In her realm, she was idolized by the majority of her community, and looked upon with the utmost trust to lead them… Thorin truly believed he failed to recognize the potential and the pure heart in the girl from the moment she appeared in his line of vision at Hobbiton.

Looking intently at the girl he incessantly scorned, Thorin recognized the heavy burden on her shoulders, and the fear of failure written all over her gaunt features, for it mirrored his emotions. The burden of recovering Erebor from Smaug and the fear of failing his people overwhelmed him the moment his grandfather died and his father went missing. Finally, Thorin felt a certain kinship with the girl, and his personal shame intensified.

"And what would you say to Lux-Vita if you knew she was listening, Romulus?"

"I'd tell her we're all with her in spirit," Lupin's voice hesitated slightly. "And I'd tell her to follow her instincts, which are good and nearly always right."

Lux-Vita's eyes brimmed with tears, obviously touched and she let out a watery chuckle, "Nearly always right?" The brown-haired girl they recalled had a bossy voice, embraced the ruby-haired witch in a hug, while the boy piped up, "I bet you anything Lupin took your advice and went back to Tonks."

Gandalf found himself unable to detach his sorrowful gaze from the Golden Trio. He absently listened to the announcements, and his attention waxed upon hearing the report about Voldemort's whereabouts. "Well, who wouldn't want a nice little holiday after all the hard work he's been putting in," was the sarcastic reply to Voldemort being abroad. "Point is, people, don't get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he's out of the country. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but the fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to, so don't count on him being a long way away if you're planning on taking any risks. I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but _safety first_!"

The announcement of _Potterwatch_ ended with the password for the next broadcast before shrouding the encampment in complete silence. The Company didn't dare utter a word, too interested in overhearing the trio's conversation.

The brown-haired girl was the first to speak, "It's so brave of them. If they were found-"

"Well they keep on the move, don't they? Like us," the orange-haired boy reminded her. Lux-Vita on the other hand, jumped onto her feet, her face shining with excitement and her haunted emeralds twinkling with victory, "Never mind that! Did you hear what Fred said? He's abroad! He's _still_ looking for the Wand, _I knew it_!"

Óin tapped a hand against his hearing aid, "Did she say 'Hand'?"

Bofur rolled his eyes, "Wand, Óin. _Wand_! What's so important about a wand anyway?"

"What say you, Gandalf?" Thorin randomly barked out, his sapphire orbs blazing with suspicion upon seeing the Wizard's face dramatically pale; _Tharkûn has indeed been acting odd recently._

Gandalf ignored the plethora of inquiring eyes directed at his person, his attention fixated on the two witches' argument, which greatly irritated Thorin. Lux-Vita huffed in aggravation, her gaze swiveling toward the boy who merely shrugged in defeat. "Your stubbornness could seriously make you an honorary dwarf, Hermione. Why are you so determined not to admit it?! Voldemort's after the Elder Wand!"

" _No_!" Gandalf gasped; however, pandemonium struck at that instant. Before anyone could inquire about the 'Elder Wand' or about Gandalf's distressed cry, an odd piece of equipment lit up and began to spin wildly. Multirole _cracks_ echoed from afar and the orange-haired boy pulled out a strange object from his pocket and clicked it, extinguishing the circles of light from within the tent.

"What the bloody hell is happening?" Lux-Vita frantically hissed as she and the other witch whipped out their wands and magically packed their belongings into two beaded bags before shrinking them. The Company clearly heard a cacophony of menacing voices coming nearer: rough, excited voices that gave them an ominous feeling.

It was Gandalf's defeated statement that perplexed the thirteen dwarves and the lone hobbit, "His name is Taboo."

Kíli's curious query was drowned by a blood-curdling voice rasping through the darkness, "Come out of there with your hands up! We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!"

The illusion turned into mist, and the last thing they were able to distinguish before it vanished completely, were three figures running the opposite direction with their wands out, and a yelled " _Run_!" from Lux-Vita.

"Y-You think they'll be alright?" Kíli hesitantly inquired, his doe-like eyes widened in a mixture fear and concern.

Gandalf offered him a smile, though it belied the unadulterated fear in his grey orbs, "I have faith in them." Thorin and Balin shared a dubious glance, for Gandalf spoke as though he personally knew _all three of them_ …

Before any more questions arose, they heard a disturbance nearby.

Thorin immediately unsheathed Orcrist with the readiness of a warrior, "Something's coming!"

The Company shoved their belongings into their sacks and armed themselves as Gandalf sprang to action with the agility of a tween, "Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves!"

The last thing they expected to discover was an eccentric-looking man with an impressive beard donned entirely in brown robes and a matching, distinctive hat, and excrement dripping down the side of his face, riding toward them in full speed through the forest on a rabbit-drawn sled, hysterically screaming at the top of his lungs, " _Thieves_! _Fire_! _Murder_!"

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

She rarely hated. Though when she did, she hated murderously.

Glaring through narrowed eyes at the skeletal woman with a nest of matted black hair, Lux-Vita's blood boiled and hatred coursed through her veins, the potency almost threatening to suffocate her. Lux-Vita vowed vengeance against Bellatrix Lestrange, and she _always_ kept her promises...one day, the bitch _will_ die by _her_ hand.

In a shocking twist of fate, Draco Malfoy, her seven-year-long nemesis, feigned uncertainty when asked by his desperate father and unhinged aunt about her true identity…

The moment Fenrir Greyback's sinister voice permeated the air in the forest, Lux-Vita bellowed for Hermione and Ron to run, and the Snatchers pursued them. Ron was the first to fall, tripping over a fallen branch, and Hermione quickly followed, a stray spell colliding with her back; before she got grabbed however, Hermione managed to toss her wand over to the redhead.

Lux-Vita couldn't leave her friends behind, and knew it was only a matter of time before the gaggle of dark wizards caught up with her; she hid behind an oak tree and trained Hermione's wand at herself, promptly transfiguring her hair and eyes a mousy brown and a dull blue, respectively. Three distinctive traits that set Lux-Vita apart was her lightning-bolt shaped scar, her unique ruby-colored hair and her otherworldly emerald gems. Unfortunately, a wizard with inky blue eyes and long raven hair called Scabior caught her off-guard and disarmed her before she could properly conceal the famous scar emblazoned on her forehead.

Recognizing Hermione and Ron as two-thirds of the illustrious Golden Trio, Scabior focused his sharp, assessing gaze onto her transfigured face and reached forward, brushing her fringe from her forehead with surprisingly gentle hands. Unfortunately, in an untimely fashion, Lux-Vita's Potter Luck struck and she was bombarded with visions of Voldemort flying in the air towards some dark fortress, prompting the barely discernible scar to redden. Shrewd inky blues flared and his lips curled into a half-smirk before he forcibly restrained her, pulling her hands behind her back and clasping her bony wrists with one strong hand.

Not long after, Lux-Vita stood in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor, stubbornly meeting Draco's silver-grey gaze. He no longer had an air of arrogance, _no_ … her nemesis appeared to be utterly woebegone, no doubt a result of his father's stint in Azkaban and Voldemort seizing his home. But most importantly, Draco… _protected them_. Irregardless of Lux-Vita's transfigured features, Draco's features lit up with recognition, and yet, he claimed uncertainty when Lucius and Bellatrix continuously prodded him for her identification.

Lux-Vita's mind whirred with activity as she kept an ear to her surroundings; her beaded bag was still on her, shrunk into her sock, and although Hermione and Ron's wands had been confiscated by Scabior, along with Ron's rucksack, the ruby-haired witch had an array of weapons buried at the bottom of her purse. Sensei Min Chaoi ensured she was deftly educated in various techniques of self-defense and attack, and Lux-Vita was confident that if she were to gain possession of one of her throwing knives or sword, she'd be able to cut her bindings. However, her strategizing was interrupted by Bellatrix's manic scream, her deranged onyx orbs intently focused on Gryffindor's Sword that had been haphazardly shoved into Ron's rucksack before they attempted to flee.

Greyback's hot breath fanned her back, his sharp, blood-crusted nails lewdly groping her as he forced her and Ron along the corridor as per Bellatrix's instruction, Hermione's agonizing screams shaking the foundation of the manor. She was abruptly attacked by memories of Voldemort molesting her, and just as the werewolf turned his administrations to her lower regions, Lux-Vita snapped out of her trance and her training kicked in.

She bashed the back of her head against his nose and snarled at him to _never touch her again_! Pinching his bleeding nose, Greyback's orbs started to glow a sickening yellow and simultaneously, Ron – who was still struggling with his ropes – positioned himself in a protective stance in front of the redhead.

"Oi! Greyback. Yer s'posed to be _lockin'_ 'em up, not _feelin'_ _her_ up!"

Lux-Vita never imagined her savior to be a greedy Snatcher who had aligned himself with Voldemort for loot, but all the same, she felt nothing but gratitude toward Scabior. The wizard sneered at the werewolf and after a short argument, Scabior escorted them to the dungeons.

Ron bellowed loudly for Hermione the second his rear hit the ground; Lux-Vita, on the other hand, inched closer to the bars and sincerely whispered, "Thank you."

Scabior froze in his tracks and eyed her intently. "What for beau'iful? I am the one who recognized you and brought you to your death," he smirked, though his inky blue eyes raked her features, raptly watching as brown melted into a vivid red and dull blue sparkled with passionate green.

Lux-Vita shrugged, a sad smile pulling at her lips, "I'd rather die than be the werewolf's whore."

A brief silence passed between them. An undecipherable glint passed through Scabior's eyes before he turned his back on her and swiftly departed the premises. Lux-Vita continued to absently stare at the empty corridor, wondering how many witches and wizards were forced into servitude, or took the coward way out by bowing down to the megalomaniac's feet. Scabior didn't seem evil; but desperate, his morality skewed.

"You did the right thing," a _very_ distinctive dreamy voice came out of the darkness. Lux-Vita would recognize that voice anywhere, " _Luna?!_ " Ron ceased yelling for Hermione as a shadow moved forward. "Oh, Lu, I'm so happy you're okay. We've been worried sick," she cried out in relief.

As per Ron's instruction, Luna grabbed the Deluminator from his pocket and a click later, luminescent spheres flew into the cellar, hanging above them like tiny suns and flooding the underground room with light. As she worked on freeing Ron from the ropes with a nail, Lux-Vita scrutinized her surroundings. Poor Mr. Ollivander, he had been taken prisoner the longest; he was curled up on the floor and looked dangerously emaciated. Dean and Griphook however, were a wonderful surprise, having been snatched by the Snatchers shortly before the Golden Trio.

"You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell me the truth, _tell the truth_!" Bellatrix's deranged voice was promptly followed by a terrible, hair-raising scream that solely belonged to Hermione, and as Ron hysterically screamed for her, Lux-Vita remained perfectly still, tears cascading down her face like rivulets as Luna relieved her from her bonds.

Lux-Vita smacked her hand over Ron's mouth, muffling his screams, "Ron, do shut up will you. I'm trying to think of a plan to get out of here. How the bloody hell they managed to break through our protective wards-"

"The name's taboo," Luna matter-of-factly interjected in her typical whimsical voice. Lux-Vita's hand felt numb and limply dropped from Ron's mouth. "It's been taboo for months now. That's how they're locating the remaining members from the Order of the Phoenix."

"Well, damn! That would have been useful information," Lux-Vita venomously snarled, taking her anger out at the wall by kicking it. Hermione let out another agonizing scream and the ruby-haired witch winced, "This is all my fault! I'm the one that sai-"

This time, Ron smacked a hand over her mouth, and by the feverish expression on his face, Lux-Vita instantly acknowledged the master strategist of the Golden Trio had conjured up a plan. "Lux, _you_ can get us out of here! You can apparate-"

Ollivander pushed himself into a sitting position, his frail limbs creaking at the sudden movement and he hoarsely uttered, "There's no way out, Mr. Weasley. This cellar is completely escape-proof. I've been here for a _very long time_ , I have tried _everything_."

Ron however, didn't look disheartened, a glint in his sparkling blue eyes that was highly contagious. Lux-Vita beamed, catching on to his implication, "Brilliant, Ron! I can't believe I haven't thought of it before! You're _absolutely_ brilliant!" her emerald gaze roamed between the confused Dean, Luna, and Ollivander, and settled on the disoriented goblin that had taken her to her vault at the age of eleven. "I can get us out of here. I have a plan."

"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! _CRUCIO_!"

Ron was half-sobbing now, but he knew the importance of remaining quiet at the moment. It was crucial. Lux-Vita pushed through her tears and suppressed her own memories of the excruciating pain the Cruciatus Curse inflicted as she began rummaging through her beaded bag for her weapons.

"How did you get into my vault?" they heard Bellatrix scream. "Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?" And despite their predicament, a proud smile flittered on Lux-Vita's face upon hearing Hermione's response, marveling at her strength and quick thinking to come up with a convincing lie under torture, "We only met him tonight! We've never been inside your vault… It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!"

" _Dobby_!" Lux-Vita hissed, slightly tweaking her initial plan. She knew that Bellatrix would demand Griphook's presence, and she couldn't risk the goblin outing them; she wasn't well-versed in the goblin race's sense of self-preservation and the best course of action would be to immediately remove Griphook from the premises.

A loud _crack_ echoed inside the cellar, revealing Dobby. His enormous, tennis-ball-shaped eyes were wide; he was trembling from his feet to the tips of his ears and Lux-Vita felt a stab of guilt at bringing him back to the home of his old masters.

"Dobby," Lux-Vita knelt down to be on the same eye-level as the petrified house-elf and she softly clasped his bony hands in hers. "I apologize for summoning you back to this place, but I need your help. You can refuse-"

Dobby vigorously shook his head, his ears flapping wildly and the last remnant of fear vanished from his eyes, "No, no. Dobby would be honored to help Luxy Potter."

Emeralds shone with gratitude and after a quick inquiry on whether he could disapparate from the cellar with humans, Lux-Vita gently ordered, "Right. Dobby I want you to grab Luna, Dean, Griphook and Ollivander, and take them… take them to-"

"Bill and Fleur's. Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!" Ron interjected; before Bill and Fleur's wedding, Bill took Ron aside and informed him that if anything were to happen – knowing that no matter what, the Golden Trio would not be talked out of their surreptitious quest – to come to Shell Cottage.

The elf nodded in acquiescence, though Lux-Vita's next statement had him hesitate to obey, "And _don't_ return for us. You hear me, Dobby. Once you take them to Shell Cottage, go back to Hogwarts, we'll be fine."

Luna and Dean gaped at Lux-Vita and Ron, horrified and appalled.

"Lux, we _want to help_ ," Luna pleaded.

Dean nodded in agreement, "We can't leave you here, we won't!"

Lux-Vita's scar burned worse than ever, and for a few seconds she found herself in Voldemort's head, looking down at not Ollivander, or her friends, not even the loyal house-elf, but an old, thin man who was laughing scornfully, " _Kill me, then, Voldemort, I welcome death! But my death will not bring you what you seek… There is so much you do not understand…_ "

She felt Voldemort's fury, but as Hermione screamed again, and footsteps shuffled closer toward the dungeons, Lux-Vita shut Voldemort out and returned to the cellar and the horror of her own present. "Go!" she beseeched them. "Go! We'll follow, just go! Dobby?"

Grudgingly, the loyal house-elf grabbed the goblin and the wand-maker, and Dean reluctantly gripped his bony elbow. There was another loud _crack_ and the footsteps echoed louder in her ears, but Lux-Vita and Ron found themselves blinking at a smug Luna in shock and defeat. Luna had let go of Dobby at the last second, unwilling to leave her friends behind.

"I'm going to kill you," Lux-Vita hissed, though it lacked conviction. She tossed a dagger each to Ron and Luna, and gripped her sword, waiting for the cellar to be unlocked. Ron left the lights on, and the two seventeen-year-olds and the sixteen-year-old backed against the wall as they heard someone descending the steps outside the door.

"Stand back," came Wormtail's sniveling voice. "Stand away from the door. I am coming in."

Lux-Vita's orbs blazed with hatred, and she addressed the other two, "He's mine."

The door flew open. For a split second, Wormtail gazed into the apparently empty cellar, ablaze with light from the three miniature suns floating in midair. Then Lux-Vita launched herself upon him, throwing a powerful kick against his ribcage. Ron joined the fray, struggling for his wand which emitted sparks.

"What is it Wormtail?" Lucius called from above.

Lux-Vita swiftly punched his mouth, making him whimper in pain. "Back up, Ron," she ordered, venom lacing her words. Ron obediently returned to Luna's side, Wormtail's wand in his possession. The ruby-haired witch steadily met a pair of watering beady eyes, unaffected by the pitiful, traitorous rat. She leveled her sword, menacingly swinging it toward his neck as she listed his heinous crimes, "You betrayed my parents to their deaths. You framed my godfather. And you sentenced me to a bleak childhood and made me an orphan. You helped _him_ return to a corporeal form. You abetted in my fiancé's death and my defilement." Wormtail whimpered pathetically – the last noise he made before Lux-Vita deftly decapitated him with her sword. "Their deaths are finally avenged," she concluded, lowering her bloody sword and ignoring the traitor's head rolling on the ground in favor of glancing at her green-faced friends.

Luna was the first to recover. Stepping over the headless corpse, silver-blues met emeralds in an intense gaze. "When the time comes, imagine the feeling of safety, and think safe haven." Lux-Vita frowned in perplexity, but just as she parted her lips to question her odd friend, she snapped it shut, knowing by know that Luna always had a reason for everything. Lux-Vita had been toying with the idea that Luna had the gift of foresight, but could never test her theory. So she merely nodded and dragged Ron toward the corridor, snapping him out of his disgust.

"Remind me to _never_ to piss you off, Lux," Ron chuckled weakly, tightening his grip on the blade as they ran up the stairs and back into the shadowy passageway leading to the drawing room. They crept along it until they reached the drawing room door, which was left ajar and had a clear view of Bellatrix, a sinister dagger in hand, its serrated edge coated with crimson, looking down at a barely immobile Hermione, who was lying by her feet.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Gandalf beamed at his success once the last dwarf exited the pathway, glancing fondly at the valley below, "The Valley of Imladris. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo breathed out in reverence, his hazel orbs filled with wonder at the heavenly sight. Gandalf nodded, "Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea."

Thorin's anger was inevitable, and the Grey Wizard prepared himself for the onslaught of abrasive words the stubborn dwarf threw his way. "This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy," he growled, his eyes losing its unique sapphire shade as it cracked into chips of ice. The twelve dwarves began mumbling in Khuzdul, their expressions aggravated and showing naught but hostility.

 _Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!_ He inwardly huffed as he looked down at the apoplectic king. Gandalf lost the last vestiges of his patience and his tolerance. The combined stress and worriment of stealthily leading the Company to the hidden pathway that led to Imladris, listening to Radagast's ominous report of the Necromancer, running from orcs and wargs, and fearing the fate of the Golden Trio, Gandalf finally exploded, a dark aura emanating from his person, prompting all but Thorin to cringe backward in alarm. "You have _no_ enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The _only_ ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself! Have you not learned from the illusion we recently bore witness to? Are you that obstinate, you would prefer to cradle your bias and hold onto it forevermore?!"

Thorin narrowed his gaze; his exterior appeared to be indifferent, though inwardly, Thorin was in turmoil. The voice in the contraption painted a clear picture; those cloaked murderers serving the Dark Lord were created through their bigotry. " _We're all human aren't we?"_ Shaking his head from his chaotic thoughts and sudden insecurity, Thorin went for a different approach, "The Elves will not give our quest their blessing. They _will_ try to stop us."

A ghost of a smile materialized on Gandalf's weathered face, realizing that not all hope was lost in regards to Thorin Oakenshield. "Of course they will," he acknowledged, his tone expressing that to think otherwise would be most ludicrous. "But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm," Gandalf grinned, banging his staff on the ground as he made to move onward. "Which is why you will leave the talking to _me_."

Thorin grumbled, recognizing the slight on his person. The Company walked across the bridge to Rivendell, every one of them radiating a melancholic air, almost as though they were walking to their execution. In fact, only Bilbo appeared to be amazed by the heavenly scenery.

Disregarding the dwarves' uneasiness, Gandalf politely greeted Lindir, and after promptly inquiring about Lord Elrond's whereabouts, Elvish horns reverberated in the clearing followed by a group of armed horsemen approaching at a rapid pace. Again, Gandalf ignored the Company's paranoia as they tossed Bilbo into the tight circle they formed with their weapons pointed outward, his only response to their massive overreaction a simple eye roll. The wizard watched in amusement as the mounted elves rode in circles around the dwarves, and his eyes brightened in joy upon seeing his old friend dismount his horse and embrace him.

"Gandalf," Elrond's expression morphed from joy to awe when he pulled back from the hug, comprehension dawning on him. "Mellon nin, you are whole again," a tinge of sadness could be detected, for Elrond understood there to be one reason for Gandalf's wholeness: _death_.

Gandalf smiled sadly and bowed gracefully, "A tale for a later hour."

A stifling confrontation later between Elrond and Thorin, and they all congregated in the dining hall for a feast.

"Kind of you to invite us. I'm not really dressed for dinner," Gandalf chuckled, seating himself beside Elrond.

Elrond smirked at the inside joke, "Well, you never are." He then pierced the meddling wizard with his penetrating stare, "After the feast, there is a matter of importance I need to discuss with you."

"What matter do you speak of?" Gandalf uneasily inquired, noticing Thorin stiffen from the peripheral of his vision. Elrond looked between the wizard and Thorin, his gaze almost knowing, but he merely shook his head, "It is somewhat delicate I believe you may be able to shed some light on-"a sudden hiss escaped his lips, and he automatically reached for Vilya – the great blue stone set in a gold band began to glow ominously.

Elladan and Elrohir sprung out of their designated seats and stood on both sides of their father, all mirth gone, their identical features heavy with concern. Gandalf shot onto his feet and even Thorin was affected by the change in Elrond's demeanor.

"Ada, what is it?" Elladan rapidly inquired, sharp grey orbs boring into the blue stone of Vilya.

Elrond sucked in a sharp intake of breath as he flexed his hand, "Vilya is warning me of intruders."

Gandalf and Elladan gasped loudly, eyes widening in fear. Thorin and Bilbo were utterly bemused, but Elrohir however, had a strong reaction to his father's declaration; he strongly shook his head in a mixture of denial and confusion, "But the enchantments! Nobody could pass the boundary spell without your permission." And despite it being the wrong timing, Thorin glared up at Gandalf, the elf's statement conjuring an epiphany – Tharkûn must have somehow cautioned the elves of their upcoming arrival… how else were they allowed entry into their land?!

"The spell is still intact," a panicked Elrond breathed out. "Whoever these intruders are, they nevertheless ripped through the powerful wards. We have no time for a discussion, Elladan, I ask that you summon Glorfindel posthaste, and both of you meet me by the bridge."

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

The instant Bellatrix pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark, Lux-Vita tore through her lower lip with her front teeth in an effort to repress the pained scream from escaping her lips. Her scar felt as though it had been split open again; her true surroundings vanished. She was Voldemort, and the skeletal wizard before him was laughing toothlessly at him; Voldemort was enraged at the summons he felt, for he had warned them, he demanded them to summon him for nothing less than Potter.

" _Kill me then! You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours—_ "

And Voldemort's fury coupled with the burst of green light snapped Lux-Vita back to the present, her ears ringing with Bellatrix's voice, "And I think, we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ron charged forward, armed with Wormtail's wand and a dagger. " _Expelliarmus_!" he roared, pointing the wand at a shocked Bellatrix. Luna sprinted toward Hermione's fallen form and Lux-Vita pulled a throwing knife from her back pocket, hurling it at Greyback's chest. The werewolf grunted, snarling in pain, but the redhead barely spared him a second glance as she ripped it out of him, not bothered by the squelching sound it made, and twisted around to face Bellatrix, slashing her forearm.

Luna managed to grab Bellatrix's disarmed wand, both her and Ron fiercely casting spells as they stood protectively in front of Hermione's unconscious form. Spells and curses ricocheted off the walls, tearing through the walls, and Lux-Vita deftly ducked them, tucking her throwing knife into her pocket and gracefully swinging her sword with practiced ease.

"Drop the sword!" Draco weakly threatened her, his wand pointing at her. Lux-Vita hardened her gaze at him before she bent down, threw her leg out and kicked the side of his knee, prompting Draco to lose balance and drop onto the ground. Lux-Vita threw her weight at him and pinned him down, her lip a hairsbreadth away from his ear, "You _don't_ want to fight me, Draco. I can tell, you don't want _him_ to win. Stay on the ground lest you force me to hurt you!"

Silver-grey orbs widened on her, and for a split-second, Lux-Vita genuinely pitied him. Receiving a subtle nod of submission, the ruby-haired witch wrested his wand from his grip and cast the stunning spell on him to make it look more convincing on his part. Narcissa and Lucius turned their attention onto Lux-Vita, but Luna accosted them, giving her ample time to duel Scabior for Gryffindor's Sword. Ducking the jet of turquoise light he sent her way, Lux-Vita high-kicked his wand arm and pressed the tip of her sword to his jugular.

Inky blues portrayed no fear whatsoever; the Snatcher was raking her face in awe and he threw her a shit-eating grin, "You gonna kill me, beau'iful?"

"No," she huffed, snatching the sword from his grip. "You still have a chance at redemption." Scabior blinked at her in shock. "Go! Run. No one's looking. Don't waste the opportunity I'm giving you and do the right thing. Don't waste your chance at freedom," she whispered, returning his wand. She watched the Snatcher flee the premises and once she heard his _crack_ of disapparition, joined the battle.

Lux-Vita's scar was blinding her with pain. Dimly she knew that they had moments, _seconds_ before Voldemort materialized before them. "Ron, Luna! _Hurry_!" she shrieked, using Draco's wand to unfasten the crystal chandelier, allowing it to fall onto Lucius, who stood directly beneath it and was nearly overpowering Luna. Glittering shards of crystal flew in all directions, some impaling into Hermione, Ron, Luna and even herself, as well as Bellatrix and Narcissa, who had succumbed to Luna's full body-bind curse.

Ron carefully approached her, his arms full with Hermione's immobile form. Luna hurriedly collected the stray wands haphazardly strewn on the ground and firmly grasped her right forearm. Bellatrix was the last Death Eater standing, her manic eyes regarding them with malice and armed with a knife caked in Hermione's blood. Lux-Vita gripped Ron's shoulder and closed her eyes.

She ignored the blinding pain of her scar, the hysterical shrieks of Bellatrix and the pressure of Luna's hand. Lux-Vita took Luna's eccentric advice and repeated the words ' _safe haven_ ' in her head like a mantra; a small smile tugged on the corners of her lips when she felt her body drift off and the familiar sensation of being hit with the Imperius Curse overwhelming her. Just as an invisible hand yanked her off the ground, a piercing pain struck her chest and she was enveloped by darkness, the flash of flying silver unseen by her.

The four injured teenagers violently collided against lush grass, the pure breeze fanning them, but the soothing echo of a nearby waterfall was heard by two of them.

Ron kept his arms around Hermione, the soft rise and fall of her chest anchoring him to the present and comforting him. He didn't bother to scrutinize their unfamiliar surroundings, unable to relax completely until he was confident that Lux-Vita and Luna escaped unscathed, the blur of flying silver plaguing his mind and consuming him with fear.

"You girls all right?" he addressed the blonde and the redhead.

Luna nodded, out of breath, vaguely identifying a squadron rushing toward them in the distance, "I'm fine. Lux, get up."

Silence.

"Lux? _Lux-Vita_?" It was an odd sight, observing the dreamy quality vanish from Luna's pixie-like face and her whimsical tone harden. Ron dragged an unconscious Hermione to Luna's side, eyes widening in horror at the crude knife embedded in Lux-Vita's chest, and the pool of crimson accumulating around her and drenching her form.

"No. NO! LUX! Come on, wake up! GET UP!" he bellowed, his voice rough with tears.

Luna fiercely shook Lux-Vita, trying to wake her up, uncertain whether she should pull the knife out or keep it in. "Lux, come on. Wake up. I didn't see it end this way. It's not supposed to end this way!" Her body wracked with violent sobs when the redhead remained immobile, her complexion turning a ghostly white.

Harsh gasps echoed permeated the air from behind them, but Ron and Luna didn't care, they only cared about their friend who had stopped breathing.

Unseen, a certain curio, hidden inside a snitch that was safely tucked away in the moleskin pouch around Lux-Vita's neck, mysteriously glowed.

 **A/N:** **This was a long chapter! Whew! I hope you all liked it?! XD**

 **I need to address a few things that might have confused y'all: (1) First of all, Ron** _ **never**_ **abandoned Lux-Vita and Hermione like he did in canon. I mean, the Horcrux affected Ron, like in canon, but due to the different circumstances, it affected him differently. Ron isn't threatened by Lux-Vita, or jealous of her, like he was with Harry. There is no Harry for him to fear Hermione would choose over him in the romance department. Ron's relationship with Lux-Vita is a brotherly, overprotective one, so the thought of ditching her never even crossed his mind. (2) Second of all, since Ron never abandoned them during the Horcrux Hunt, they never found out about the taboo. Ron would constantly urge Lux-Vita and Hermione to call him 'You-Know-Who' like he did in canon, and Lux-Vita unknowingly slipped up, unaware of the taboo. (3) Third of all, Lux-Vita ended up having her wand snapped in Godric's Hollow like in canon, and Ron accompanied them since he never abandoned them. (4) Luna is a very important character to my storyline, so I had her stick around. ;) I have so many plans for Luna… (5) About Dobby; I decided there was no point in killing him off. I mean, with Lux-Vita able to transport herself due to her Keeper of the Realms powers, she only needed Dobby to send the other captives to safety. It was a gamble on Lux-Vita and Ron's part on whether or not she could transport others with her to Middle Earth. (6) Elrond and Gandalf's conversation in VERY important, please keep it in mind because I will be explaining it next chapter. Every. Single. Word. Spoken. (7) As you can see, Lux-Vita is completely different than Harry so she killed Wormtail without remorse && she spared Scabior's life (that was honestly for selfish reasons, 'cause I adore him for some weird reason, LOL!). (8) If anything I wrote about Vilya is incorrect, then it will be me deviating from canon. :) **

**So yeah, I think that's all I need to address.**

 **Where do you think they landed? ... Is Gandalf Dumbledore or not? … Will Thorin change his bigotry & why does Lux-Vita annoy him so much? … Is Sirius alive? … Is Lux-Vita dead? … Is Luna fully human?**

 **Stay tuned ;)**

 **R &R.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 ****Speaking through the mind:** _ **Bold Italics.**_

 **Chapter 15:**

Piercing blue eyes, striking yet soft, proceeded with its alert watch, barely blinking and unmoving from that of the immobile form of the dark stranger who had yet to stir from his tormented comatose state.

Ever since his detection nearly a fortnight ago by the borders of Rivendell, the stranger persisted in a permanent slumber not even the adept healing of Lord Elrond could remedy. The mysterious stranger of the Race of Men was alive, but barely, imprisoned in an odd, inexplicable limbo between life and death, and dwelling in a state of constant agony, as determined by Elrond. Wholly failing to restore the man to a conscious, or at least, a semi-conscious state, Elrond was left with no other choice but to resort to ósanwe and skillfully enter his mind – only to recoil backward at the onslaught of arrant pain, pain that the man was no doubt suffering through, and therefore, had promptly abandoned the effort and had regrettably ascertained the man's grim lurgy.

Him having been the one to discover the man unconscious by Rivendell's borders during a leisure parameter check – a task purely driven by spontaneity and the need to keep himself occupied – he stationed himself in the second healing quarters and stood vigil by his bedside, unable to depart his side until his awakening – _if_ he ever did awaken, that is.

He had found him, and therefore, he felt duty-bound to the dark-haired man whose face looked anything _but_ serene, instead, overcrowded with lines of unbearable pain, and for some confounding reason, the man's somber condition deeply affected him; which was immediately ratiocinated as a sense of obligation for having been the one to locate him and shepherd him through the walls of Rivendell.

" _Glorfindel_!"

Thick strands of golden fanned the air as he was abruptly shaken from his contemplations and hastened to pirouette on his heels to confront the unexpected intruder. Brows knitted together in confusion for a split-second before he correctly construed the franticness showcasing his friend's usually mirthful appearance, his jocular mood morphed into utmost panic.

"Elladan, what is it?" Glorfindel rushed forward, turning his back on the stranger to gauge the gravity of his friend's behavior, concerned at the circumstances that brought him to these quarters that had been barred to all but himself, Elrond and the elleth assigned to maintain the stranger's hygienic needs.

"Vilya notified us about a disturbance with the wards. Father has asked for your presence while he identifies the trespassers," Elladan breathlessly disclosed.

Glorfindel's mood dropped at hearing the disturbing tidings Elladan bore with him. His stance instantly altered to that of a warrior's; his face was no longer full of joy, but taking the resemblance of carved stone, his brows set with determination and his hand gripping his mighty sword, Laurë. "Then let us make haste."

The two elves departed at a frenetic pace, their retreating fluid footsteps maintaining the prolonged silence in the room, interrupted by the shallow breaths of its solitary inhabitant. _However_ , precisely a full minute after their departure, a sharp intake of coarse breath resonated, ensued by two pools of grey, the color of gathering storm clouds, forcefully snapping open. A cracked voice strained from dehydration let out a cry of distress, " _Lux-Vita_!" before a shield of eyelashes fluttered and the haunted pools of grey drifted shut once more.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

All eyes morbidly fixated on the deteriorating form of the ruby-haired girl as one last uneven breath was pulled from her lungs and the soothing rise and fall movement of her chest came to an abrupt stop; her complexion and her loose articles of clothing completely drenched in an ominous crimson, the crude hilt of a knife sticking out from her chest. Ron and Luna's constant pleas went unheard and their combined efforts to jolt her awake were futile as Lux-Vita remained unmoving and unresponsive, her head lolling lifelessly in a sickeningly display.

The squadron was closing the distance between them, but Luna paid them no heed as she broke down and dropped to her knees, murmuring over and over in a mantra that _it wasn't supposed to end this way_ and that she _hadn't seen it_ …

" _No_ ," a voice, hoarse from endlessly screaming, whispered. Ron, who had yet to cease his hopeless attempt of shaking Lux-Vita conscious, briefly paused, blue eyes thick with moisture watched as Hermione, her limbs trembling, crawled the short distance. She felt the blood soak her already bloody shirt upon achieving tactile contact with the first friend she ever had, _her sister_. "Don't leave me! … _Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter_! I mean it!" she kept shouting as she yanked out the serrated knife and frantically applied pressure to the wound.

" _Rennervate_!" Luna changed tactics, using the magic that coursed through her veins in their disposal since all their manual attempts ended with fruitless results, but the immobile body simply absorbed the brilliant red light.

Despair was thick in the air and the hooded vale of death hung threateningly over the Haven. The blood flowed thickly from Lux-Vita's body and in the bright light of the Valley, it was indecently red; her vivid ruby hair moved in the breeze and her shirt billowed – the rest of her utterly still.

Gasps of horror permeated the air, and the fugitives found themselves surrounded by the most peculiar-looking people in various shapes and sizes, all of them exclaiming expletives and demands. However, protuberant silver-blue orbs, thick with tears, only had eyes for one person in particular, her desperate gaze colliding with eyes that struck a sense of familiarity in her, intense grey eyes that seemed to be thousands of years old but were now mirroring her grief. Eyes that were familiar, yet unfamiliar.

"Dumbledore! _Please_ , help her!" Luna cried out, beseeching the wizened man whose soul she had recognized almost instantly.

If Ron or Hermione overheard her, they didn't show any indication whatsoever as they continued weeping over their best friend's fallen form. Their audience however, all but Elrond, Elrohir, and the approaching Elladan and Glorfindel gaped at the distressed, dotty-looking blonde in shocked confusion at the incorrect name used to address Gandalf.

If the situation weren't as grave, Gandalf's reaction to Luna's uncanny intelligence wouldn't be to bark out orders at the weeping children to make way for him and Elrond, but unfortunately, current circumstances didn't allow room for explanations.

"She's gone, Gandalf," Elrond sighed forlornly the moment he placed a healing touch over the stab wound. "There's _nothing_ I can do."

While Fíli, Kíli, Ori, Bilbo, Bofur, Bombur and Balin shed a constant stream of tears at the grisly sight and the remaining members of the Company stared in wide-eyed shock, Thorin felt a numbness overtake him as he simply stared at the immobile form of the girl he had mistreated so cruelly, he had loathed unjustly, and he had viewed upon with contempt, the girl he constantly remarked to be naught but a burden and a weakling, the girl he had recently discovered to be the embodiment of light and good. Disbelief etched itself onto his prominent features and turmoil struck within him. Thorin Oakenshield prepared himself for the onslaught of emotions ranging from guilt, denial and grief, but a phantom icy hand squeezing his heart in a painfully tight grip that rendered him with the inability to breathe, _that_ he wasn't prepared for, and the aching sensation confused him. Something was destroying him from the inside and the Elf-Lord's declaration cemented a sense of heartbreak so potent, the idea of recovery seemed impossible.

" _ **Mithrandir, you must hurry…the window of opportunity cannot stay open for long."**_

For the first time in millennia, Gandalf physically jolted out of shock at hearing the Lady Galadriel's voice reverberate in the recess of his mind. His confusion was too great that assembling his thoughts into words proved an unnecessary exertion.

" _ **Glorfindel shall come to understand…Hurry!"**_

Curious, he spared a quick glance toward Glorfindel, who he saw had his hands quite full with the stubborn Ms. Granger as she adamantly refused to have her wounds treated or even taken to the healing quarters until her friend had been revived. Meeting Elrond's mournful gaze, Gandalf emphatically shook his head and gruffly disproved his previous verdict, "You _can_ and you _will_ , Elrond! Lady Galadriel has reassured me of Lux-Vita's survival, but only if you act _now_. _Quickly_!"

Vehemently taken aback by the Wizard's certainty, Elrond looked back down at the dead girl, confused in regards to her importance to the Lady of the Wood. Nevertheless, despite his hesitance in resurrecting the girl, Elrond knew that doubting Galadriel's wisdom would be a huge error on his part. No longer hesitating, he placed both hands over her wound, closed his eyes, and began chanting an elvish healing hymn to the Valar.

The air surrounding them was thick with Elrond's voice as it turned echoing and all-encompassing, and even the dwarves couldn't help but be mesmerized by the elvish healing, Óin in particular. As a glow of the brightest silvery-blue radiated from Elrond's palm into Lux-Vita's wound, two things occurred simultaneously: a rattling breath that sounded excruciatingly painful was expelled from the ruby-haired girl's lips, and Glorfindel's lips parted in shock, his wide eyes intense as he stared at her in utmost shock.

"Lux, my girl. Oh thank Eru!" Gandalf breathed out in relief, a small smile pulling at his lips.

Elrond, for his part, stared down at her as though he had seen a ghost as he managed to capture a brief glimpse of the girl as her eyelids lifted, rare emerald gems staring right at him before they rolled over and she succumbed to the darkness of unconsciousness.

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

Shortly after, Lux-Vita and Hermione were given neighboring beds in the healing quarters. Bellatrix had left many scars on Hermione, prolonged exposure under the Cruciatus Curse and most horrifying, a parting 'gift' on her forearm, 'MUDBLOOD' carved in deep jagged slashes. If that weren't enough, as it turned out, the knife favored by the unhinged witch that was used on both Hermione and Lux-Vita, was tainted with dark magic and if Hermione hadn't been in Middle Earth, the crude words would be permanently emblazoned on her forearm. Combining elvish medicine and athelas erased the words forevermore much to Ron's relief.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Hermione abruptly snapped, squarely meeting the dwarf's unblinking stare with a positively lethal glare. The bushy-haired witch had many irritations piling up; not only was she concerned for her best friend, who had yet to awaken since expelling that horridly painful breath a couple hours back, but Elrond had confined her to the room, treating her like an invalid on bed rest. To top things off, the group of dwarves continued to linger, concerned over Lux-Vita _which_ in Hermione and Ron's personal opinion, they had _no_ right after their abysmal treatment of her.

The dwarf in question flushed at being caught. "I just couldn't help but notice…Your tremors are similar to Lux-Vita's when she, when she first arrived here…" he trailed off nervously and it was the innocent curiosity in his voice that prompted Hermione's expression to relax considerably, recognizing him to be one of the few dwarves that appreciated her best friend and treated her with kindness.

"You're Kíli," overlooking the brunette's shock, Hermione's gaze abruptly flickered to the handsome blonde with intense blue eyes that bristled in what could only be described as overprotectiveness at Hermione's initially hostile tone. The bushy-haired witch smiled fondly, "I presume that would make you Fíli."

Dumbstruck, the brothers blinked, gaping at Hermione which elicited an amused snort from Ron and a secretive smile from Luna. "How did you-, how did you know?" Fíli stammered, his glare losing its potency.

"The inability to suppress your curiosity was a dead giveaway," she bluntly responded, grinning at Kíli before meeting Fíli's shocked gaze, "and you? The way you were just about ready to bite my head off for my harsh tone was a reaction only an older, overprotective brother could pull off. Besides-" her whiskey-colored eyes twinkled, "-Lux-Vita speaks of you two fondly. We've heard quite a lot about you."

The Princes of Durin flushed profusely at Hermione's statement before they allowed their gazes to linger at Lux-Vita's unconscious and still pale form, longing clear in their eyes, the emotion prompting a heavy scowl on Thorin's visage.

Ron glared daggers at the King Under the Mountain, "You on the other hand-" a hand was swiftly placed over his mouth, muffling the litany of expletives and threats he was about to emit. Ron shifted his glare to Luna who simply stared back coolly, unaffected. Her whimsical tone seemed to have made a reappearance now that Lux-Vita wasn't at Death's Door anymore, "You'll have plenty of time to yell at him for his cruel treatment to Lux-Vita. At all of them-" her protuberant silver-blue orbs passed through every single dwarf that had mistreated the ruby-haired witch, her gaze disapproving, "-but for now, Lux-Vita needs a peaceful environment to recover."

Grumbling, Ron acquiesced, though he looked severely unhappy, as did Hermione. Luna smiled and her hand retreated.

The silence ensued in the room, each person lost in their own thoughts except for Thorin, who was staring between Ron and Hermione with a mixture of wariness and indignation.

Suddenly, Hermione spoke up, breaking the silence, her inquisitive gaze fixated on Luna and her expression bewildered as she recalled a particular piece of crucial information she had purposely ignored previously due to her distressed state. "Luna… before, when we were outside, you- you called Gandalf Dumbledore."

Ron's eyes widened in remembrance and he too, stared at Luna in confusion.

"I did," Luna simply responded, unfazed.

"Uh, Luna," Ron awkwardly scratched his forehead, unlike Lux-Vita, he had yet to get used to Luna's quirks. "Dumbledore's dead. And even if he didn't die… that's _not_ him."

Luna's gaze was quite unnerving as she stared at them, her next statement confusing them further, ignoring the bewildered dwarves and the lone hobbit in the process, "Yes, Ronald. Albus Dumbledore _is_ dead. But Gandalf _is_ Dumbledore."

Ron spluttered, unable to come up with an acceptable term for crazy without insulting her or hurting her feelings. Hermione merely sighed and rolled her eyes, believing that Luna was simply being Luna.

Elsewhere in Rivendell, three powerful beings had sequestered themselves in Elrond's study as they discussed the afternoon's excitement.

"It makes sense now," Elrond murmured to himself. He had taken to pacing around his study, working on compartmentalizing his chaotic thoughts, mulling over the astounding discovery that transpired. He paused to meet Gandalf's gaze. The Grey Wizard comfortably sat on an armchair in silence, patiently waiting for his two companions to recover from the afternoon's many surprises. "I wondered at first, why Galadriel is invested in a human girl… it just, it _cannot be_!" he breathed out, the slight denial that laced his words was combined with wonder.

" _ **But it is Elrond… you know it to be true. She is a descendant."**_

" _ **Why have you not warned me of her arrival?"**_ Elrond inquired curiously, disregarding Gandalf's knowing expression. A loud sigh emanated from Galadriel's end. _**"I knew it was only a matter of time before she crossed path with you…Just like I have foreseen her path crossing with him."**_

"You cannot inform him, my Lord Elrond. You do know that," Gandalf stated once Elrond pulled out of his trance, signaling that Lady Galadriel had taken leave of their mental conversation. Upon being on the receiving end of the Elf-Lord's incredulous stare, the wandering wizard elucidated, supporting his claim, "You know more than I, that he shall _not_ believe you. Not until the proof is staring right at him. It is of great import that you allow fate to unravel on its own."

The Elf-Lord grimaced, comprehending, though grudgingly, the veracity of Gandalf's words. Turning to their third companion, he frowned in concern, "Why so silent, Glorfindel? What ails you so?"

Sharp eyes of the purest blue flickered between the two before settling on Elrond, "The human girl. You didn't heal her, Elrond. Nor did you resurrect her." Gandalf slowly stood on his feet, his expression wary as he gazed upon the Valar's emissary. Elrond, too, appeared shocked at his words, though he maintained his silence, waiting for Glorfindel to divulge his reasoning. "She was dead. There is only one way forward once your life comes to end. And yet, according to Mithrandir, this isn't the first time she perished in Arda."

"What are you implying, Glorfindel?" Gandalf warily inquired.

Glorfindel squarely met the Wizard's stare, a determined glint in his eyes. "I am not implying anything, Mithrandir. I am _telling you_ … that girl, the aura of Death clings to her like a second skin. I could sense him, the very moment Elrond began his hymn, the presence of Mandos was… _overpowering_. Mandos barred the girl from his Halls; _Mandos_ is the one responsible for her resurrection. _He_ , for some reason that confounds me greatly, favors her," he assuredly related, his flawless features developing lines of deep contemplation. "Permitting the dead a second chance is rare. But a third? Tis unheard of."

Elrond and Gandalf exchanged knowing glances, understanding why the girl's resurrection greatly bothered Glorfindel; upon his death, he was re-embodied by the Valar with the purpose of acting as an emissary, _and yet_ , that was _after_ spending _years_ in the Halls of Mandos. Therefore, the anomaly of an inconsequential human girl he knew nothing of, personally restored by Mandos mere minutes after her death, baffled him.

The Grey Wizard sighed, shaking his head at the golden-haired elf, "Have you yet to decipher Lux-Vita's identity, Glorfindel?"

Seeing his shock multiply, Elrond softly revealed, a wistful note in his mellifluous tone. "I caught a short glimpse of her eyes before the darkness enveloped her once more. Her eyes…they were the glimmering color of emerald…and they, they sparkled in the light of the afternoon sun like," he smiled sadly, a distant look in his grey eyes.

"Like a fresh sheen of morning dew," Glorfindel breathlessly finished, his expression taking one of awe. "A descendant of Laelynn…" he trailed off anxiously, looking at Gandalf for confirmation.

A nod of the head was the only requirement needed, but Gandalf enlightened them further, "Her full name, given to her at birth by her late parents, is Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter. _However_ , the fact that she has inherited the duties of the Keeper of the Realm should be proof enough."

Processing the influx of staggering information, Glorfindel shook his head in amusement, his usual mirthful countenance emerging tenfold, "Well, this changes everything. Things in Arda are going to be much more interesting from hereon."

 *****Lux-Vita Laelynn Jamie Potter*****

When Lux-Vita eventually stirred, the bright morning ray fanned her face and she groggily blinked her eyes open, cautiously shifting herself so that she could prop herself on her elbows and take in her surroundings. Her perusal however, was cut short when a hand twitched over hers and she realized that a messy head of orange hair was slowly lifting up.

"Hey Ronnie," Lux-Vita rasped, her attempt of a smile cut off by her sudden coughing fit. Ron instantly snapped out of his sleepy haze and jumped up, quickly reaching out for a glass of water and carefully helping her down it, clearing her airways. "Thanks- _oof_!"

Ron had wrapped her in a tight embrace, wordlessly expressing his joy.

"LUX!" Hermione cried in relief, beaming at her from her respective bed while Luna tackled the ruby-haired witch in a hug the moment Ron had pulled away. Lux-Vita laughed at their infectious exuberance and listened intently as they tearfully conveyed their fears of having lost her. "Come on, you guys. If I'm going down, it won't be by Bellatrix's hand."

Hermione threw her a deadpanned stare, "Was that supposed to be comforting? _Honestly_ , Lux-Vita!"

At that exact moment, the door swung open and a handsome dark-haired man with an ivory complexion and piercing grey eyes stepped in, closely followed by a man with otherworldly features, his golden hair a halo on his head and inquisitive bright blue eyes boring into her unique gems. Snapping out of her speechless state, Lux-Vita narrowed her eyes, confident that those two breathtaking men were elves like the Lady Galadriel, but before she could utter a word, the door opened once more and a familiar wizened man all decked out in grey walked straight toward her, eyes observing her intently, and a soft smile gracing his face, a painfully familiar smile that had always been reserved for her.

Ignoring the audience in the room, Lux-Vita intensely met his eyes, "How long have I been in here?"

"Oh, just a day," he smiled, disregarding the armchair and depositing himself on the edge of her bed. "We have all been extremely worried."

Inhaling a shuddering breath, Lux-Vita sat forward, paying no attention to the dark-haired elf's warning about upsetting her healing wound. "I'm going to ask you something and, I need you to be completely honest with me. No riddles. No witty remarks. No skirting around the truth." Receiving a compliant nod, Lux-Vita let out in one breath, "You're Gandalf the Grey but…but you also go by another name. I mean, of course you go by other names, I've heard the dwarves call you Tharkûn, and Lady Galadriel called you Mithrandir, but-"

Gandalf jovially chuckled, cutting into her nervous ramblings, "My dear girl, you are getting sidetracked."

"Right, well…" Steeling herself, Lux-Vita point-blank asked, "Are you Dumbledore?"

Hermione gasped, staring at Lux-Vita appalled as though she had betrayed her by unknowingly repeating Luna's insane drivel, "Lux! How can you ask something like that?"

"Blimey, you sound like Luna," Ron _eloquently_ blurted out.

But before Lux-Vita or Luna could come up with a snappish retort, Gandalf beamed and happily inquired, "And how, may I ask, did you arrive at such a conclusion?"

A radiant smile colored Lux-Vita's face when she didn't hear an outright denial, or a sympathetic smile, and confidently said, "For starters, Gandalf's eyes never twinkled as much. That's classic Dumbledore. And the way you're smiling at me right now? It's a smile a grandfather reserves for his granddaughter. The curious Wandering Wizard who found me in the middle of the woods never smiled at me that way. But most of all, Gandalf _never_ called me Lux. Always Lux- _Vita_." As Gandalf's eyes twinkled merrily, Lux-Vita's lips pulled into a smile that could put the sun to shame. "Please don't tell me it's just wishful thinking and it's my grief talking, or that my mind's playing tricks on me. You're him. Aren't you?" a desperate plea was palpably detected in her tone.

A stark silence descended upon the room as all but the two elves waited on tenterhooks for Gandalf's response. Finally, a fond chuckle escaped his lips and he inclined his head, "Yes, Lux, my girl. I suppose I am Dumbledore, or well, Dumbledore is me."

"Blasted riddles," the redhead mumbled prompting a giggle out of Luna, which was quickly drowned out by Ron and Hermione's loud spluttering, both of them gasping, " _What_?" in shocked disbelief.

Shaking out of her stupor, Hermione firmly shook her head, "How is that possible? We saw your- _Dumbledore's_ body, we were at _his_ funeral."

Once more, Gandalf inclined his head in agreement, "You are correct, Ms. Granger."

The bushy-haired witch recoiled at the uncanny similarity to Dumbledore. She may be in denial and would never be able to believe such ludicrous claims without valid proof to back them up, but she wasn't a dimwit. Other than Lux-Vita, she was one of the smartest witches of their age, and she clearly heard the familiarity in his tone when speaking to her, almost as though he _were_ the venerable wizard that had known her for six years.

"Ms. Lovegood, would you care to explain how you knew my identity earlier?" Gandalf smiled benignly at the dotty witch. Ron was still opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, unable to contribute to the conversation.

Luna looked ecstatic and dreamily uttered four words that always had the ability to drive Ron and most especially Hermione, insane, "The nargles told me."

" _Luna_!" the two aforementioned groaned.

Elrond slowly approached them, intense eyes fixated on Luna, and there was comprehension and awe alight on his features, which greatly confused the Golden Trio. "And what exactly did the nargles inform you of?"

"That Dumbledore and Gandalf share the same soul," she matter-of-factly supplied, her smile never wavering. This time, Glorfindel intervened, bright blue eyes glittering with amazement as he whispered, "Magnificent."

Gandalf cleared his throat, grey eyes piercing Hermione knowingly as he recognized the telltale sign that she was about to demand answers. Blushing, the witch looked down, though inwardly, she was frustrated at how much the Grey Wizard resembled Dumbledore, in not only his looks, but his personality. Only those closest to her could effortlessly get a read on her.

"Allow me to recite the tale of Albus Dumbledore's birth," Gandalf serenely stated, and hearing him refer to himself in the third person was _extremely_ freaky in Lux-Vita's opinion. "I was born before the shaping of Arda and all its creation within, and was christened Olórin. The Valar, the Powers of Arda, decided to send a group of Istari down to Middle Earth and I was chosen, and after a few millenniums, I was rechristened Gandalf. But then, one fateful day, there was a great upheaval in Middle Earth. The Keeper of the Realm bloodline became extinct."

All eyes were now focused on Lux-Vita who had been raptly listening to the information regarding her ancestors and eagerly devouring every word Gandalf emitted.

"Generally, a Keeper of the Realm residing in Earth would not cause reason for worry or uproar, as over the millennia, many descended from that bloodline would odyssey between worlds at their own leisure. One important detail you should know, Lux-Vita, is that the Keeper of the Realm inheritance is _only_ passed on from mother to daughter, therefore if your mother bore a son, he wouldn't inherit the ability to travel between worlds."

Lux-Vita looked taken aback but nevertheless, she automatically slapped a hand over Ron's mouth, having foreseen the sexist comment that was making its way out. Hermione rolled her eyes fondly and Luna muffled her laughter.

Gandalf's eyes twinkled, "It is not a matter of prejudice, Mr. Weasley. Manwë and Varda, the King and Queen of the Valar and of Arda, cherished one out of thousands and bequeathed her the mighty title, and since then, it has been inherent in all her daughters." He clapped his hands together and interlaced his fingers, "Such a powerfully complex and influential title comes with many responsibilities and even more burdens, and therefore, tutelage is of utmost priority."

"I was never tutored," Lux-Vita pointlessly remarked. Gandalf adopted a grave expression and he somberly nodded, "And the outcome could be catastrophic. You see, Lux, my dear girl, neither was the sole remaining Keeper of the Realm when she disappeared from Arda. She had yet to reach the age of maturity when she tapped into her innate powers… hmm, around…" he trailed off in contemplation, mentally calculating.

"TA 170," Elrond supplied in a hush. "Two-thousand-seven-hundred-and-seventy-one years ago."

The Golden Trio and Luna blinked in shock, " _Woah_!"

"That's-" Hermione's eyes widened in comprehension, having been given a quick summary by the kind hobbit last night regarding the different species in Middle Earth, which comprised of the elves' immortality, along with the prejudice between the Race of Elves and Dwarves much to her disapproval.

"Yes. Over two millennia ago she vanished," Gandalf sadly concluded. "Unfortunately, as she had yet to receive tutelage due to her age, her existence was a danger to both worlds as she could be easily swayed, be corrupted by evil, or even perchance, she remains ineffably good, but unknowingly taps into her powers again and risk exposure to those with unsavory intentions. To that end, the Valar agreed that a Guide must be sent to Earth, and since I am accounted as the wisest of the Maiar, I was appointed the task of the Keeper of the Realm's Guide."

When Gandalf paused for a breather, Glorfindel decided to take over for a while, giving the grateful Wizard a short respite. "While chosen, Mithrandir couldn't abandon his duties in Arda; it was too much of a risk. So the Valar sundered his soul-"

Horrified gasps resonated in the room as the four Earth dwellers adopted expressions of pure disgust.

"You mean like, like a _Horcrux_?" Lux-Vita spat out, her orbs flaring at the discovery.

The two elves exchanged flummoxed looks, but an equally disgusted Gandalf quickly appeased them, "No. _Definitely_ not. The Valar's technique and Tom's are disparate. The Valar took a small portion of my soul and molded it into Kendra Dumbledore's womb, bringing Albus into existence. We are both one of the same, yet two different entities."

Ron groaned and buried his face into his palms, "I'm getting a bloody headache. Am I the only one confused here?" Receiving no response, he peeked through his fingers to get a better look at the three girls and his eyes widened, "You actually understood all that?"

"Sort of," Lux-Vita shrugged.

Impatient, Hermione huffed, eyes rolling aggressively in their sockets, "Oh _Ronald_ , what he means is, Albus Dumbledore combined with Gandalf's soul gained extra qualities. _But_ if Albus was born without Gandalf's soul, then he would be a completely different person. He probably would never have become a transfiguration professor at Hogwarts or the Headmaster or even the leader of the Light. The Order of the Phoenix might not have been created at all!"

"Quite astute of you, Ms. Granger," Gandalf beamed, a fond glint passing through his eyes.

Lux-Vita cocked her head in confusion, "What I don't get, though, is how come you didn't recognize me when I first teleported myself in Middle Earth? Come to think of it, why were you so amazed when I described Hogwarts to you?"

"I was completely reborn, Lux-Vita. I was born anew. I had no memories of Arda, of the Valar, of my fellow Maiar. Albus gained a few traits of mine that transformed him into the Albus Dumbledore you all knew. Likewise, I knew nothing of Earth, Hogwarts, or even yourself."

Rubbing her temples, Lux-Vita leaned over to whisper in Ron's ears, "It's not just you. I've getting a headache too."

"Tell me about it," Ron grumbled.

"So you were stationed in Earth to look over the Keeper of the Realm?" Luna probed, eyes wider than usual. Hermione however, noticed a fault in the entire task, "But how could you guide her without your memories?"

Gandalf nodded pleasantly. "Excellent question! I knew nothing of her identity. I knew not of her existence. But the Valar ensured I was to be reborn in a body that would one day cross paths with her. I wasn't supposed to interfere, simply protect her and let fate run its course and in the end, it all worked out. For Lux-Vita is getting acquainted with her responsibilities," he happily concluded.

"No pressure," Lux-Vita muttered, prompting a sharp elbow to her stomach courtesy of Hermione who didn't appear to be as amused as Ron or Luna, or even Glorfindel. "You've got absolutely no sense of humor, Mione. _Anyways_ ," she quickly changed the subject before Hermione could initiate a one-hour rant, "according to Sirius, my mother had no idea about her powers, but he _did_ sense there was something special about her."

Elrond couldn't quite conceal the glimmer of hope from his eyes, "Your mother. What is her name?"

"Lily…" Lux-Vita stared, confused at Elrond when his face dropped. "What?"

Glorfindel sighed, his expression mirroring Elrond's, "We were quite expecting her name to be Laelynn as it happens to be one of your middle names."

"But that's preposterous!" Too wrapped up in the onslaught of knowledge, Hermione unconsciously adopted her bossy, know-it-all accent. "If you're implying Laelynn is the same girl that disappeared _over two-thousand-years ago_ , then she was born _thousands of years before_ Dumbledore! Before Hogwarts even!"

Her shrill exclamation, while receiving three perplexed nods of agreement from Lux-Vita, Ron and Luna, it merely elicited a smile on Elrond's face and chuckles from Glorfindel and Gandalf.

"Dear girl, time has no meaning when one travels between worlds," Glorfindel provided, his eyes dancing with mischief when he noticed the human boy bristle enviously at the term of endearment. Gandalf nodded, swiftly taking over, "Did you not wonder _why_ when Lux-Vita spent over a month here in Middle Earth, only two hours passed in Earth? Time is simply immaterial. Why, if Lux wishes to, she could transport herself a thousand years into the future, or even backwards to the Founders' Era."

Lux-Vita immediately backed away from Hermione and shoved Ron between them as the bookworm began bouncing, hands desperately trying to reach out to the redhead as she found herself unable to contain her enthusiasm, "Oh Lux! Let's go, _please, please, please_! I would do _anything_ to meet Rowena Ravenclaw in person. _Anything_!"

"Oi!" Ron stared at her as though she had committed blasphemy. "You're a sad excuse of a Gryffindor, you are."

"Just because I'm more partial to brain over brawn doesn't mean I don't belong in Gryffindor, Ronald!"

"Brawn?! You just insulted yourself!"

"Oh honestly-"

" _Hey_! Zip it you two!" Lux-Vita yelled, her raised volume causing Thorin bloody Oakenshield and his merry Company to barge in, much to her irritation. The redhead stubbornly avoided their gaze to glare at her two sheepish best friends, "You two can have your marital spat _later_ , on your own time, in the _privacy_ of your rooms!" She turned back to an amused Gandalf, "And don't think I haven't realized that you know more than you're willing to share, old man."

Her cheekiness had him bursting into a fit of jovial laughter. Once his laughter subsided, he enveloped his favorite student and adopted granddaughter in a warm embrace, "I never believed even for a second that I managed to fool you, Lux, my dear girl. However, you are not ready to know _everything_. In time, everything will come to light."

Releasing him, Lux-Vita smiled bitterly and shrugged, "Yeah, yeah, we've been down that road before, and an ugly, life-changing prophecy ended up hiding in the back of the closet. So… _reluctantly_ I understand where you're coming from. _But_ ," she raised an accusing finger much to his amusement, "don't take too long or I'll keep pestering you."

"Or she'll just solve it herself and get us all into trouble as usual," Ron added in exasperation, receiving two slaps to the head from Lux-Vita and Hermione. " _Ow_! Women! Hold your hippogriffs!"

Lux-Vita didn't even have to think of a way to prolong the inevitable confrontation with the dwarves as the exuberant mood came to an abrupt end with the arrival of an elleth, her expression frantic.

"My Lord! You must come quickly. The stranger has awakened and he's yelling in distress, screaming one name over and over!" she breathlessly exclaimed.

Though her words were addressed to Elrond, it was Glorfindel who stepped forward, confused over the reason behind his eagerness, "Who?"

"Lux-Vita."

 **A/N:** **Da-Da-Dum! Was that another cliffhanger? If so, I'm sorry. I really don't ALWAYS do them on purpose…**

 **First of all, I'd like to apologize for the delay. Honestly, this chapter was murder for me! And** _ **no**_ **, I'm not exaggerating. I honestly do not know HOW I manage to hit writer's block for this story when I've got everything all planned out until the end of the** _ **Battle of the Five Armies**_ **. It's really annoying me! My head is killing me! Because of my writer's block, it took me THREE** _ **whole**_ **DAYS to finish this chapter, so I'm kind of worried that it wasn't a good chapter. Therefore, if it's no bother, I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some feedback 'cause I'm really paranoid and it's bugging me! I hate writing a bad chapter (** _ **is it bad?**_ **) so I'm kinda pissed off.**

 **Anyways, enough with my personal ranting. This chapter was meant to be an introduction to Rivendell because this section of Lux-Vita's adventures will be split into maybe 3 to 4 chapters. I introduced Glorfindel and a mysterious stranger… I wonder** _ **who**_ **? ;)**

 **I finally put your curiosity to rest regarding the whole Gandalf-Dumbledore debate && I provided a little insight to Lux-Vita… it won't be explained fully for a while so I'm sorry, it had to happen. I couldn't spill all the beans otherwise it would've completely ruined the ENTIRE plotline…**

 **Anywhoo, I'll try and get the next chapter out in a week or two, tops!**

 **Hope this chapter didn't disappoint… *fingers crossed***

 **R &R.**


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